Ｃｈｕｚｈｏｕ：Ｌａｔｅｓｔ Ｉｎｖｅｓｔｍｅｎｔ Ｈｏｔｓｐｏｔ

ＸＵ　ＹＩＮＧ

SHREWD Zhejiang enterprisers voted Chuzhou one of Chinas best investment destinations on May 30, 2007. This was no small achievement, bearing in mind that the famous cities of Hangzhou, Dalian and Nanning were also in the running.

Chuzhou in eastern Anhui is 115 km from provincial capital Hefei, and some 50 km from Nanjing in Jiangsu Province. It is an ancient city with fine scenery. The great writer and scholar Ouyang Xiu of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) praised the Chuzhou landscape in his classic essay Record of the Old Tipplers Pavilion. The three national forest parks around the city and the Yangtze River to its south give Chuzou its fresh air and comfortably humid atmosphere. Its Huangfushan Reserve is a bird haven.

Chuzhou was the birthplace of Zhu Yuanzhang, founder of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Upon assuming the throne, Zhu initially lived in Chuzhou, and at one time planned to build a great city wall and grand tombs for his parents, but moved to Nanjing six years later.

Within business circles, Chuzhou is regarded as one of the Chinese cities with the greatest potential. The citys successful closure of 18 projects, valued at more than RMB 100 million, took Chuzhou to the fourth rank of investment volume during the first half of 2007, according to Development and Reform Commission of Anhui Province statistics.

Location is a key element of Chuzhous success. Its position on the fringes of the Yangtze River Delta economic power house places Chuzhou within a transport network comprising the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, Hefei-Nanjing Expressway, Nanjing-Xian Railway and the currently planned Beijing-Shanghai Expressway. Chuzhou is one of six main cities in the Nanjing Economic Circle, which encompasses a consumer market of 400 million. A mature industrial sector that produces home appliances, automobiles, machinery, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals and construction materials has consequently emerged.

Chuzhous successful attraction of investors indicates their satisfaction with the citys soft environment. “Investors have defined opinions on whether or not an investment environment is favorable,” says Wang Guocai, secretary of the CPC Chuzhou Municipal Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chuzhou Municipal Peoples Congress. “The government responds by optimizing the environment and improving its services to enterprises.”

The government, in addition to constructing infrastructure and advancing urbanization, has implemented preferential policies in recent years thatare of substantial benefit to large overseas investors.

“The government should focus on service rather than management,” was Secretary Wangs comment at a recent investment invitation conference. “We have switched our attention from managing the city and its companies, focusing instead on the market economy. As industry brings more job opportunities to the city, we need to create a better environment for investors.”

Government efforts have been handsomely rewarded. Enterprises from the US, Germany, Japan, Thailand, as well as domestic companies from Hong Kong, Guangdong, Shanghai, Liao- ning, and Zhejiang in particular, have all set up factories in Chuzhou. There are around 10,000 Zhejiang businessmen and 300 Zhejiang enterprises in the city, including famous brands such as Delixi, Yuzhou Electronics and Aogus Electrical. Sixty-six new Zhejiang investors invested RMB 1.3 billion in Chuzhou in 2006.

The Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone is a main force in attracting investment. The 16 sq km zone comprises industrial, service and administrative sectors, as well as education, residential and scenic areas. It is the site of more than 260 companies, including BSH Bosch, Siemens, Yukita Electric of Japan and Konka of Shenzhen. Total investment in the zone stands at RMB 15 billion.

Chuzhou also has a place for small and medium-sized investors. The city has formulated a multi-level system of development zones. In addition to the heavyweight Chuzou Economic and Technological Development Zone and Chengdong Industrial Park are county and town level zones that offer a good platform for smaller enterprises.