Congress finds Zhuhai did extraordinarily well in 2018

Zhuhai's Gross Domestic Product grew by 8 percent to 296.6 billion yuan ($43.7 billion) last year, highlighting a long list of impressive statistics presented at the 7th Session of the 9th Zhuhai Municipal People's Congress on Jan 22.

For instance, fixed-asset investment jumped by 20.7 percent to 185.9 billion yuan ($12.7 billion) and total retail sales of consumer goods grew by 7.6 percent to 116.2 billion yuan ($17.1 billion). At the same time, the total volume of imports and exports rose by 8.5 percent to 324.6 billion yuan ($47.8 billion).

Meanwhile, general public budget revenue rose by 5.4 percent to 33.1 billion yuan ($4.9 billion) and per capita disposable income of all residents was 48,007 yuan ($7,076), up 9 percent.

Furthermore, the consumer price index (CPI) rose less than 2.3 percent and the registered urban unemployment rate remained at 2.25 percent.

Based on these positive results, the city looks forward to even greater successes in 2019, the 40th anniversary of its founding.

At the podium of the Great Hall of Zhuhai, Mayor Yao Yisheng delivered the Report on the Work of the Government 2018.

Mayor Yao Yisheng delivers 2018 Work Report. [Photo by Zhao Chongxing to Zhuhai Daily]

He stated that extensive progress had been made as a result of increased levels of Reform & Opening Up, and the local campaign of Second Entrepreneurship continued all year to display the Special Economic Zone's bold and innovative spirit.

Zhuhai Municipal People's Congress meets in Old Zhangzhou. [Photo by Zhao Zi / Zhuhai Daily]

Zhuhai robust in 2018

• 71,000 newly registered commercial entities including 39,000 companies;

• 26.2 billion yuan ($3.9 billion) reduced in costs for enterprises;

• 1,302 items of administrative service now handled under the Citywide Universal Processing Program, and 348 items easily dealt with under the "at most one visit" pattern;

• Two new National Middle & Small-Sized Enterprise Public Demonstration Platforms recognized along with three Provincial Small & Micro Enterprise Entrepreneurship & Innovation Demonstration Bases;

• 3,973 newly established foreign-funded enterprises, up 153.9 percent;

• 76.1 percent of economic growth was attributed to industry;

• Seventy-seven 100-million-yuan ($14.7-million) in projects settled in the city, 128 hundred-million-yuan projects under development, and 49 hundred-million-yuan projects about to become operational;

• R&D expenditures accounted for 2.8 percent of local GDP;

• Sixty-four patents and 352 valid trademarks per 10,000 people;

• Over 1,900 High & New-Technology Enterprises;

• 27,000 talents of various kinds attracted to Zhuhai including five listed in the National Innovative Talent Promotion Program, and 1,171 apartments already in place for them;

• Six additional post-doctoral workstations and 24 doctoral workstations;

• Arrival of two Global Fortune Top 500 companies and a Chinese Top 500 Company;

• 774 Hong Kong and Macao companies newly registered in Hengqin New Area, the total number rising to 2,744;

• $21.2 billion worth of deals signed at the 12th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition;

• More than 43 million tourists visited in 2018, generating revenue of 46.6 billion yuan ($6.9 billion), up 8.3 percent and 26.8 percent respectively;

• Forty billion yuan ($5.9 billion) spent on nine livelihood projects, up 12.9 percent;

• 47,000 urban jobs created;

• Twenty sports-and-community parks opened and 13 cultural stations upgraded;

• Passenger throughput of 112.2 million recorded at Zhuhai (Jinwan) Airport, a rise of 21.7 percent;

• High-speed rail lines connecting 52 cities were operational with about 23 million passengers using them as well as the intercity MRT, an increase of 29 percent; 

• Bus fares reduced to 1 yuan (15 cents) increasing daily bus passenger number to 1 million;

• 60 km (37 miles) of greenways, 70 km (43 miles) of boulevards, and 40 km (25 miles) of fitness paths built;

• Zhuhai placed 11th in the ranking of air quality among 169 cities;

• A new National Demonstration Cooperative, two provincial Characteristic Small Towns, three provincial agricultural giant companies, and 16 provincial famous agricultural brands emerged.

Other highlights

• AG600, the world's largest amphibious aircraft, carried out its first takeoff and landing on water. The plane is manufactured by Zhuhai-headquartered China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA).

• Yunzhou Look Out II, China's first unmanned missile boat developed by Zhuhai-based Yunzhou-Tech, test-fired a missile.

• The Zhuhai Talent Program was released, which will allot more than 2.5 billion yuan ($368.4 million) annually to bring talented people to work and live in the city.

• The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge opened to traffic on Oct 24, with a "Joint Inspection & One-time Release" customs clearance mode applied to make the process more efficient.

• The Global Service Outsourcing Summit, China International Circus Festival, 2nd "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" China (Guangdong) International Communication Forum, and Asian Windsurfing & Kiteboarding championships were all successful.

• Parallel session of Chinese Spring Festival Gala was held.

• Zhuhai was restored as a National Civilized City, the top domestic honor granted by the Civilization Office of the Central Communist Party Committee.

Goals and missions were set for 2019 with specific work arrangements announced.

Bright prospects for 2019

• GDP growth of around 7.5 percent;

• Increase of 10 percent in value added of industrial enterprises above designated size;

• Increase of 10 percent in fixed-asset investment;

• Increase of 8 percent in total retail sales of consumer goods;

• Steady rise in import and export volumes;

• Increase of 7 percent in general public budget revenue;

• Increase of 8 percent in per capita disposable income of all residents;

• CPI increase within 3 percent;

• Registered urban unemployment rate below 3 percent;

• Over 30,000 new urban jobs to be created;

• Provincial requirements regarding the reduction of total major pollutants discharged and air and water environmental quality are to be met.

Building blocks in place

• Deepen Reform & Opening Up in all respects. The report calls for deeper involvement in constructing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and implementing reform measures. Development of Hengqin New Area will still be the key point with the Guangdong-Macao Cooperation Industrial Park and Macao-Hengqin Youth Entrepreneurship Valley (Inno Valley HQ) remaining as high priorities.

• Maintain steady growth of the economy. There are 208 key projects worth 57.6 billion yuan ($8.5 billion) listed for 2019 to expand effective demand, including 36 scheduled for completion this year and 54 about to break ground. The goal of becoming a National All-for-One Tourism Demonstration Zone is also set. Local private businesses and SMEs should be given greater policy support, with further cost reduction for all enterprises, infrastructure perfection in industrial parks, and financial assistance for technology-based enterprises. Major risks with respect to internet finance, government debt, real estate, fiscal resources, and other aspects should be prevented and effectively eliminated.

• Accelerate modern industry system. The manufacturing industry should develop with high quality and include seven companies valued at 10+ billion yuan ($1.5 billion) and 2,100 HNTEs by the end of 2019. Businesses at various stages will receive government services accordingly. Strategic emerging industries such as new-generation information technology, high-end equipment manufacture, green low-carbon, biomedicine, digital economy, new energy, new-energy vehicles, new materials, and modern services should be focuses. Business incubation systems should be improved to contain 33 sci-tech startup incubators. The Zhuhai Talent Program should attract 40,000 talents this year, and construction of 8,000 talent apartments should begin.

• Promote new-round transportation development. A skeleton of the transport system should be formed with accelerated construction of the Honghe Bridge and Hezhou-Gaolan Port, Xingye, and Jinqin express roads. The Jinhai Avenue and Xianghai bridges will be upgraded for higher speed limits to improve urban transport links, and Zhuhai Airport Urban Rail Transit Phase I will be readied for operations. Upgrades to key transportation nodes such as airport, ports, and checkpoints should be expedited while roads are expanded and facilities added to alleviate traffic jams.

• Balance and coordinate development in a better way. Implementation of new regional development strategies should combine with the rural revitalization strategy. Ocean and island resources should be well-protected and utilized under a three-year investment plan of infrastructure construction. Efforts should be made to construct a provincial-level Marine Scientific & Innovative Small Town.

• Build a City of Charm in the Greater Bay Area. A proposed sightseeing tower, Shizimen and Jiuzhou business districts, and others will become Zhuhai calling cards displaying enhanced city quality, which will require precise urban management. Twenty km (12.4 miles) of fitness paths, 40 km (24.9 miles) of boulevards, and nine rural landscaping points will be built, as will a sewage pipe network with a total length of 610 km (379 miles).

• Improve livelihoods. Employment and the level of social security will be raised with common progress in education, healthcare, medical treatment, public cultural service, and public security. Ten new public schools are planned and 12 others will be upgraded or reconstructed to provide 17,320 additional seats for students.

• Strengthen government self-improvement. Create a law-based, highly efficient, and clean government that satisfies people's needs, with in-depth reform of the "one door internet service pattern" and Citywide Universal Processing of Administrative Services.