The Overview of Tianjin Binhai New Area

[Evelyn.Wu]

Tianjin Binhai New Area (short for TBNA), located in the eastern coast of Tianjin, consists of such three administrative regions as Tanggu District, Hangu District and Dagang, eight industrial function zones and Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, with a planning area of 2,270 km2, coastline of 153 km and a population of more than 1.70 million. With many comparative advantages, it has become the most potential and dynamic modern new economic area in China.

Accelerating the TBNA development and opening-up is an important strategy worked out by the CPC Central Committee and State Council from the point of the overall situation of China's economic and social development. The TBNA development and opening-up was listed into the national "11th Five-Year" Plan during the 4th Session of the 10th National People's Congress held in March 2006. TBNA is becoming the third development and opening up key areas of China, and the development will launch a third wave, which will form a third growth of China's economic.

The TBNA has the following advantages:
1. Obvious geographic advantages. TBNA has a comprehensive port which ranks 6th in the world's ports and the International Air cargo Center of North China. Tianjin is adjacent to Beijing. With the Beijing-Tianjin Express Train started operation and extended to TBNA, the effect of the urban circle of Beijing-Tianjin emerging further.
2. Strong industrial foundations. TBNA have formed seven major dominant industries: Electronic & IT, Automobile and Equipment manufacturing, Oil and Marine chemical Industry, Modern Metallurgy, Green Food, Bio-pharmaceuticals, New Materials and New Energy, etc.. The emerging dominant industries of Aerospace, Financial Services, Modern Logistics, and Service Outsourcing are rapidly increasing.
3. Intensive Science and Technology Resources. Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region where TBNA is located, accounts for about 27% of the country's science and technology talents and has trained a large number of high-skilled workers.
4. As the national comprehensive reform pilot area approved by the central government, TBNA is authorized to try and execute the major reform and opening-up measures in advance. And it has formed a set of complete policy system in eight aspects of financial support, tax incentives, and financing facilitation etc.

At present, TBNA has entered a new comprehensive development stage, from points to structure, from partial plan to overall implementation. With the strong support from all aspects of the city in the year of 2008, persisting in the coordinated development of the three levels, TBNA has overcome the international financial crisis and maintained a sustained and rapid economic growth in the condition of the year-on-year cardinal number increase. The main indicator hits all-time high, and great progress has been made in the region. By the end of 2008, TBNA registered a total output value of 310.22 billion yuan, increased 23.1% comparing with last year, the total industrial output value is 761.68 billion yuan, an increase of 29.4%, achieved financial revenue of 56.97 billion yuan, an increase of 29.7%, registered fixed asset investment of 142.51 billion yuan ,an increase of 43.7%, the actually utilized foreign capital of 4.66 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 29.6%, port cargo throughput of 272 million tons and 6.22 million TEUs.

In 2009, TBNA continued to play the role of the main economic engine. In the first half of the year, TBNA completed total output value of 157.683 billion yuan, increasing 23.0% comparing with last year, achieved financial revenue of 34.524 billion yuan, an increase of 13.4%, registered fixed asset investment of 106.586 billion yuan, an increase of 55.1%; total consumer goods retail sales of 19.026 billion yuan, increase of 31.0%. The rapid growth of the economy during the first half of the year is benefited from the increase of the investment in TBNA