Foshan aims to steer growth across industries

Zheng Ke, Party secretary of Foshan, said that once the city has achieved its goals, a new Foshan that features stronger economic strength, a refined environment for innovation, a modern landscape, better cultural attainment and living standards as well as more efficient governance, will arise.

"Foshan should not only fill gaps and tackle problems, but also take the demands of the tasks seriously. By 2026, the city's GDP is set to reach 1.5 trillion yuan; the number of high-tech enterprises in the city is expected to exceed 11,000; and the added value of its high-tech manufacturing industry will triple. None of these goals can be easily achieved," said Liu Jiang, a commentator at Foshan Daily.

"But the city, with a sense of urgency and responsibility, can reach these goals."

Innovation is the impetus for development, said Zheng, adding that Foshan has the resolve to push reform and innovation. Whenever there is an outdated ideology, a rigid stance or sluggish growth, reform and innovation are utilized to get things back on track.

Foshan is a city that faces challenges of uneven and inadequate development across urban and rural areas. As a result, the government said it will optimize the city's industrial structure in five directions, namely, north, south, east, west and center.

An employee of industrial robot manufacturer Kuka inspects equipment at its workshop. ZHANG HONGTAO/FOR CHINA DAILY

In the center of Foshan, industrial parks, including the Foshan National High-tech Industrial Development Zone, a talents industrial park and the Sanlongwan Innovation Cluster, will function as an engine of innovation. The eastern part of Foshan will focus on building a modern logistics industry, which will involve areas like Dali, Shishan, Guicheng and Lunjiao.