2001 Tianjin Week in
Hong Kong
Speech by Mr. Li Shenglin, Mayor of Tianjin
At the Luncheon by HKGCC, Thursday, 29 March 2001
Grand Salons, Grand Hyatt Hotel
Respected Chairman C.C. Tung and Director Eden Woon of Hong Kong General Chamber of
Commerce, ladies, gentlemen and dear friends. 2001 Tianjin Week in Hong Kong is
ceremoniously unfolded here in the first spring of the new century. It is another grand
event following Hong Kong Week in Tianjin last March, and displays the strengthened
friendship and cooperation between Tianjin and Hong Kong. It is my great pleasure today to
have so many world-famous entrepreneurs and representatives from foreign business councils
invited by Chairman Tung, and introduce to you the city of Tianjin. On behalf of Tianjin
Municipal Government and its 9.6 million people, I'd like to extend my regards to the
distinguished guests and friends, and my heartfelt thanks to people from various circles
of Hong Kong who have been concerned with and supported our Tianjin Week.
Tianjin is a municipality directly under
the central government, and has attracted wide attention. It used to be a ferry for
feudalist Chinese emperors, and gained its name afterwards. Tianjin is famous for its
culture and history that may date back to 600 years ago. It has a total land area of 11.9
thousand square kilometers, and a coastal line stretching over 150 kilometers. 18
districts and counties are under its administration. It is also the largest coastal open
city in North China. Economic construction and various undertakings in Tianjin have
witnessed drastic changes in the past 20 years. National economy has maintained a
double-digit growth for a successive of 9 years since 1993. By the end of last year, GDP
of Tianjin had increased by 6.2 times as compared with that in 1978, and financial revenue
5.2 times. Cityscape is changing for the better every year, and the whole society is full
of vigor and vitality.
One of the most distinguished
characteristics of the economic and social development in Tianjin in recent years is that
Tianjin attaches great importance to an all-round opening up. By the end of last year, the
city had approved a total of 14,000 foreign-funded enterprises. Their contractual foreign
investment surpasses $30 billion, and $16 billion has been put into use. 218
multi-national companies have invested in Tianjin, while 67 of them are on the list of
Fortune Global 500 with a contractual foreign investment of $6 billion. The output value
of the foreign-funded enterprises constitutes 46% of the city's total industrial value,
their profit-tax accounts for 51% of the total, and foreign trade export 73% of the total.
Foreign trade export of the city hit $8.6 billion last year, and the trade volume of
Tianjin port nearly reached $30 billion. An opening-oriented economy has been a main
supporting force for Tianjin's economic growth.
Hong Kong is a financial and commercial
metropolis in the world. It has maintained close links with Tianjin. So far, over 4,900
enterprises of Hong Kong have invested in Tianjin. Their contractual investment reach
$10.9 billion, which is 34.6% of the city's total and leads all the other countries and
regions. Their investment covers manufacturing, architecture,real estate, communication,
catering, service and agriculture. They have injected great vitality into Tianjin's
economic development, and have reaped ample returns.
Ladies and gentlemen, the rapid development
of foreign-funded enterprises in Tianjin should be attributed to Tianjin's advantages as
compared with other areas. It is one of the areas in North China boasting the best
investment environment. Tianjin is in the center of the area bordering Bohai Sea. It is an
important bridge linking China and the world. Tianjin Port is one of the starting points
of Euro-Asian Continental Bridge. Its handling capacity nearly reaches 100 million tons
annually. The port has trade with over 300 ports in 170 countries. Tianjin Binhai
International Airport is the largest airfreight center in North China. It's now joining
its hands with Capital Airport to integrate the aviation business in Beijing and Tianjin.
Tianjin is one of the birthplaces of China's modern industry with over 14,000 industrial
enterprises. Machinery, chemistry, automobile, electronics, metallurgy, shipbuilding,
family electrical appliances, pharmaceuticals, textile and light industry are all
advantageous ones. Tianjin now has over 600 factories supplying over 20 kinds of products
for multi-national companies.
Finance in Tianjin developed at an early
period. At present, Tianjin has over 2800 financial institutions, including 14
foreign-funded ones. Tianjin is densely populated with scientific and technological
talents. It now has 21 institutions of higher learning with over 600,000 professionals in
various fields, which has provided rich resources of managerial and scientific personnel
for foreign-funded enterprises.
Tianjin has abundant natural resources of
oil, gas, thermal power and salts. There is also a 250-square-kilometer undeveloped
marshland between Tianjin Port and the city proper, which is rarely seen in other large
cities of the world.
Here I'd like to elaborate on Tianjin
Coastal New Area, which is rising with great vitality. It locates in the coast of Bohai
Sea, and is supported by the port. The area has a planned coverage of 350 square
kilometers, covering Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Area------a nationwide
leading area, Tianjin Port Free-trade Zone whose function of world logistic distribution
is taking shape, a metallurgical base featured by producing seamless steel tube, and an
oil and marine chemistry base featured by producing ethylene and polyester. With 7 years
of construction, the area has developed land coverage of 188 square kilometers. At the end
of 2000, GDP of the area accounted for 34% of the city's total, and its foreign trade
export hit 47% of the total. It has been the largest growth point of Tianjin's economy and
a landmark of opening up.
Ladies and gentlemen, Economic and social
development of Tianjin has stepped into a new historical period in the new century. At the
beginning of the new century, we'll complete 3 historical tasks in the requirements of the
central government. Namely constructing Tianjin into a modern port metropolis and an
important economic center in North China, building up a comparatively perfect system of
socialist market economy, and constructing Tianjin into one of the regions in China that
first fundamentally realize modernization. Recently we formulated the 10th five-year plan.
The major projected objectives during this period include an annual GDP growth rate of
10%, doubled foreign trade export, and improved living standard of people. The objectives
have greatly encouraged the citizens, and created many business opportunities for foreign
investors. Now the construction of infrastructure facilities, the downtown business area
and commercial area are underway, and high-tech industries are rapidly coming to the fore.
Large and medium-sized enterprises are speeding up their process of grafting,
restructuring and readjustment. All of the above-mentioned have provided more business
options for domestic and overseas investors.
Tianjin, in its future development, will
stick to the orientations towards opening up, science and technology and service, and
integrate itself with the world at a faster speed so that it can open up wider, have more
science and technology applied, and provide better services.
------Tianjin will actively adapt itself to
the trend of economic globalization and China’s upcoming accession to WTO. It will advance an all-round and
multi-level opening up with more market access. Its system of foreign economy and trade
will also be reformed to optimize the investment environment. Tianjin will participate in
world competition and cooperation more intensively to prosper its foreign trade,
strengthen its tie with the world, and open up wider.
------Tianjin will actively adapt itself to
the rapid development of science and technology. It will give full play to the role of
scientific and technological talents, and forcefully develop itself by science and
education. Special efforts will be made in electronic information, biotechnology, modern
medicine and pharmaceuticals, new energy and environmental protection. Tianjin will
transform its traditional industries with high-tech, and transform the style of economic
growth to build a base for making technological innovations and industrializing research
findings with high-tech industry as its core.
------Tianjin will actively adapt itself to
the development of regional economy. Special attention will be given to the improvement of
its comprehensive competitiveness. It will build up a system of policies, laws and
regulations conformed to international practices, and simplify its working process to
provide better services. It will also try to become an important collection and
distribution center in North China for logistics and the flow of personnel, capital and
information.
Ladies and gentlemen, Tianjin and Hong Kong
are as harmonious as milk mingling with water. The two sides may greatly complement each
other in economy, and have a solid foundation of cooperation. Looking ahead into the new
century, we will have more opportunities of cooperation and a more promising prospect.
Let's join our hands and contribute to the prosperity and development of both Tianjin
Municipality and Hong Kong SAR.
Thank you all.
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