Zhuhai—A Pearl of Development

Located in the southeastern part of Guangdong Province and on the west bank of the Pearl River estuary， Zhuhai borders Hong Kong to the east and Macao to the south. As early as 1980， it was one of the country’s first four special economic zones. With picturesque landscapes dotted with green mountains and clear water， Zhuhai is widely known as “the city of a hundred islands.”

Its transportation network —which is made up of the Zhuhai Jinwan Airport， Gaolan Port， Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway， Pearl River Delta Intercity Railway and expressways like the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway， West Guangdong Coastal Expressway， Jiangmen-Zhuhai Expressway， Gaolan Port Expressway and Airport Expressway—is a testimony to the 30 years of its development.

When the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is finished in 2016 as scheduled， Zhuhai will become the only city that borders both Hong Kong and Macao.

In recent years， Zhuhai has begun to carry out a development strategy to build an ecologically friendly special economic zone.

Industrial vitality

Confronted with constantly changing external economic situations， Zhuhai， with a focus on high-end manufacturing and service industries， the hi-tech industry， the marine industry and ecological agriculture， has stepped up the transformation of its economic development， pushed forward its strategic economic restructuring and further expanded domestic consumption， to take a lead in achieving quality， efficient and sustainable development.

An array of significant projects are underway， such as China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. Ltd.’s project with a total investment of 23.6 billion yuan （$3.79 billion）， China National Offshore Oil Corp.’s deepwater marine development base with an investment of over 60 billion yuan （$9.64 billion）， Sany Marine Heavy Industrial Park with an investment of 10 billion yuan （$1.61 billion）， Zhuhai Shizimen Central Business District with an investment of 36 billion yuan （$5.79 billion） and Zhuhai Changlong International Coast Resort with an investment of 20 billion yuan （$3.21 billion）. All these projects have injected great vigor into Zhuhai’s economic restructuring and takeoff.

In 2012， Zhuhai’s GDP reached 150.38 billion yuan （$24.17 billion）， up 7 percent from 2011； its industrial added value totaled 64.48 billion yuan （$10.36 billion）， up 6.3 percent； its fixed-asset investment stood at 78.76 billion yuan （$12.66 billion）， up 23.6 percent， ranking first among Pearl River Delta cities； its general budget revenue was 16.26 billion yuan （$2.61 billion）， an increase of 13.4 percent； and percapita GDP climbed to $15，000， taking third place in Guangdong Province.

Zhuhai has been singled out as the core city and transportation hub on the western bank of the Pearl River estuary， and the development of the Hengqin New Area is of national significance.

Ecological city

In recent years， Zhuhai has prioritized ecological development by building an energy-saving， environment-friendly and evenly populated society. Zhuhai， as a pioneer in building ecologically friendly cities， is pushing forward projects specifically geared toward creating a clearer sky， cleaner water， a more beautiful city and a safer environment. The city has been decorated with green footpath networks， parks， green space facilities and forest belts.

To strictly carry out its energy-saving and emission reduction plan， Zhuhai has embarked on a plan to create a low-carbon public transportation network. Since the first pure electric city bus was put into operation in 2010， more than 50 percent of these in the city are electric driven.

Moreover， Zhuhai is the only city that was rated as one of the Top 40 Tourist Cities in China for its overall urban landscape. It also got the International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment by UN Habitat.

Rising hengqin

Hengqin New Area was given special status to further cooperation between Guangdong， Hong Kong and Macao in 2009， assuming the role of promoting diversified economic development in Macao and maintaining long-term prosperity and stability in both Hong Kong and Macao.

On August 14， 2009， planning for the Hengqin New Area was approved. In July 2011， the State Council officially endowed Hengqin with more preferential policies than that of other special economic zones， including its own innovative customs system， preferential taxes and support policies for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao cooperative industrial parks.

Hengqin Island， with an area of 106.46 square km， is the largest among the 146 islands that comprise Zhuhai. The island is connected to Macao via a bridge and is 34 sea miles away from Hong Kong.

Aviation exhibition

So far， Zhuhai has held nine China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibitions.

These exhibitions serve as a platform to fully demonstrate the latest achievements in China’s aerospace industry， improve exchanges and cooperation with other countries and push the development of aviation and the modern service industry in Zhuhai.

China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. Ltd.’s project in Zhuhai has filled an industrial gap of Guangdong Province. Its aviation industrial park has become a demonstration base for China’s hi-tech industry and new industrialization.