Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area

Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) (天津经济技术开发区), one of the first national-level economic and technological development areas in the country, gained approval from the State Council in 1984. In 2009, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the area reached 121.5 billion yuan and the industrial output totaled 420.2 billion yuan, which helped maintain a leading economic status among other similar national-level areas. At the end of May, 2010, almost 5,000 foreign-funded enterprises had settled in the development area with an accumulative investment of 56.9 billion dollars, of which 24.1 billion dollars have been used. Investments in some 841 projects surpassed $10 million, in 43 projects it exceeded $100 billion while in two projects it amounted to more than $1 billion. A total of 76 enterprises from the World Top 500 Companies have invested in 158 projects in the development area.

The development area is roughly made up of nine leading industries: the electronic communications industry represented by Motorola, Samsung, and Panasonic; the automobile industry led by FAW Toyota and Great Wall Motor; the biological medicine industry with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Novo Nordiskh, and Zhongxin Pharmaceutical as representatives; the food and beverage industry represented by Bunge, Ting Hsin International Group, Nestle, and Coca-Cola; the new energy, new materials, and environmental protection industry led by Vestas, Kyocera China, and Tianjin Motimo Membrane Technology; the equipment manufacturing industry with Otis, SEW, and John Deere as representatives; the petro-chemical industry represented by CNPC Bohai Drilling Engineering Company, GWDC, and Cabot Corporation; the aviation industry represented by the industrialization base for new-generation launch vehicle; and the modern service industries, including finance, logistics, and outsourcing industries. TEDA has become the largest production base for mobile phones, base stations, electronic components, flat televisions, enzyme preparation, solar panels, and instant food.

TEDA topped other national-level development areas in terms of investment environments for 12 years in a row evaluated by the Ministry of Commerce. UNIDO also rated TEDA as one of the six most dynamic cities and regions of China. World famous magazines "Fortune" and "Forbes" selected TEDA as "China's most admirable industrial park".

TEDA is making every effort possible in coordinating the development of its economy and society, which is dedicated to developing cleaner production, its green and low –carbon economy; land its recycling economy for an ecologically ideal living place. So far, the green area of TEDA has surpassed 16.55 million square meters, bringing its coverage to 21.5 percent. It has been selected as one of the first national pilot parks for the recycling economy and one of the demonstration areas of three ecological industrial parks.