People’s Daily Overseas Edition 2019-06-20
Qingdao is becoming a “magnet” for investment. Data show that from January to May this year, Qingdao’s actually-utilized foreign investment reached US$2.36 billion, a year-on-year growth of 6.7 percent. There were 396 new projects in this period with contract foreign investment of $5.13 billion, a growth of 60 percent year-on-year.
A total of 1,059 domestic projects were introduced in Qingdao with a total investment of RMB 94.35 billion, a growth of 16.9 percent year-on-year, which is 4.2 percentage points higher than the same period last year.
“Attracting investment and talent” is taken by Qingdao as an important engine to cultivate new growth drivers in an effort to innovate the mode of investment promotion, build a platform for investment, create an internationally oriented business environment and construct a new highland for further opening-up in the new era.
Industrial Agglomeration
Oracle, one of the world’s Top 500 companies and largest provider of information management software and services, has set up a technical innovation and entrepreneurship base in Jimo, Qingdao.
At the signing ceremony, Wu Shaosang, Oracle’s global vice president and Oracle University’s general manager for the Asia Pacific Region, said that the project would fully exploit Oracle’s superiorities in software, database, big data, artificial intelligence, global leading technology in service outsourcing, rich resources of vocational education, mature talent innovation system and extensive domestic and global customer resources to boost regional talent cultivation, innovative projects incubation, software outsourcing, industry clustering and cultural creativity.
Not long ago, the Airbus H135 helicopter assembly line was put into production in Qingdao. This is the first Airbus H135 helicopter assembly line outside of Europe. Qingdao has thus become the center of Airbus helicopters inChinaand Asia, opening a new chapter in the development ofChina's aviation industry.
Headquarters projects have also become a highlight of Qingdao’s investment campaign.
In January this year, Shandong Headquarters of Poly Commercial Real Estate settled in Shibei district, Qingdao, and the registration of it took only one day. This project is also the only provincial-level headquarters of Poly Commercial Real Estate, which will become an important node in Shandong province and the surrounding provinces. By discussing the project operation and management mode with Poly Commercial Real Estate, Qingdao will introduce 150 businesses by building a franchisee platform.
Data show that in the first quarter of this year, a total of 13 headquarters were introduced into Qingdao with a total investment of RMB 40 billion. As of now, Bitron Group Asia Pacific R&D Center, Ingle Testing Regional Headquarter and CMDC East China R&D Industry Base (East China Headquarter), China Renewable Environment Resources Co., Ltd., Zhonghai Ocean Co., Ltd. and Suning Honghaizi Maternal and Infant Products Co., Ltd. have set up headquarters in Qingdao.
As the only pilot area for comprehensive wealth management and financial reform inChina, Qingdao seizes the opportunity ofChina’s opening-up in the financial sector to attract foreign financial institutions. So far, 169 financial projects settled in Qingdao this year, including 41 industrial investment funds registered with the Asset Management Association of China.
It is worth mentioning that in May this year, a global venture capital conference was held in Qingdao. Just a month later, 58 venture capital institutions registered their businesses in Qingdao, with a total investment of RMB 2.2 billion. The initial cluster of venture capital institutions has taken shape.
The settlement of numerous projects in Qingdao manifests the strong attraction of Qingdao to investors. As one ofChina’s first open-up coastal cities, Qingdao has become a new highland for business investment.
Innovative Investment Promotion Mode
The settlement of investment projects are made possible by Qingdao’s innovative mode of investment promotion.
In 2019, investment promotion is taken by Qingdao as an important engine to cultivate new growth drivers and quality development. An municipal office for “investment and talent attraction” was set up headed by Qingdao CPC Secretary and the Mayor, and a promotion system for major projects was established. As of now, Sunac Qingdao Ocean Vitality Zone Project, Chinese Academy of Science Health Town Project, COSCO Shipping Project, Yue’s Tongren Health Biotechnology Industrial Park and other projects have settled in Qingdao.
Socialized Professional Investment Promotion
In March this year, the first 16 socialized professional investment promotion companies including Qingdao Marine Equipment Inspection & Testing Group and Qingdao Ocean Sensor Industrial Technology Research Institute, were signed in the Qingdao Oceantec Valley. As professional R&D innovation institutions and high-tech enterprises with top-class professional teams and rich information resources, they will focus on five industries such as ocean big data, information technology and venture investment.
“We have received many applications, but the professional level and capacity of the Qingdao Oceantec Valley is the greatest,” said an official heading a team of academicians outside of Shandong, which has signed a cooperation agreement with the Qingdao Oceantec Valley. He expressed that his team had a lot of R&D achievements in the field of marine sensors, but lacked experience in the commercialization of these achievements. The business plan, professional market team and other one-stop professional investment services provided by Qingdao Ocean Sensor Industrial Technology Research Institute gave them “reassurance”.
Up to now, the first 16 socialized professional investment promotion companies in the Qingdao Oceantec Valley have contracted a total of more than 60 key projects related to marine big data, marine engineering equipment, underwater robot and deep-sea fishery, launching a new round of professional and targeted investment promotions which will attract more talented professionals and projects to settle in the Qingdao Oceantec Valley.
At the same time, the preparation of Qingdao Shibei Industry Service Co., Ltd., the first investment promotion company of district and city level in Qingdao, is under way. It will be operated in a brand-new mode of “investment promotion center + industrial service company”, and lead the investment promotion in a professional style.
Intensive investment promotions provide ways for high-level cooperation.
In March this year, Qingdao held a seminar in Shenzhen to promote investment and attract talent. As a result, 24 industrial cooperation projects were signed.
A month later, a “2019 Spring Central Enterprises Qingdao Tour” was held in Qingdao, during which, 18 key projects were signed. This event gave rise to a new round of strategic cooperation between central enterprises and Qingdao, and injected new momentum into Qingdao’s development.
Half a month later, a delegation from the Chambers of Commerce of Science and Technology Equipment Industry of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce visited Qingdao, resulting in the conclusion of three key cooperation projects, including a sci-tech equipment industry park, and China Tiangu’s Northeast Asia Headquarters.
Qingdao has also creatively set up a global investment promotion network - Qingdao overseas business centers. So far, nine business centers have been established inSingapore,South Korea,Germany, theUnited States,Japan,Israel, Hong Kong, theGreat BritainandRussia. These business centers have played an important role in promoting bilateral cooperation, investment and trade between Qingdao and these countries. They also serve as platforms to provide services for the introduction of overseas talent.
Optimized Investment Environment
Qingdao has not only explored new ways to attract investment, but also formulated an action plan for investment and talent introduction (2019-2022) in according with Shenzhen’s practice, in a bid to constantly improve the business, institutional, legal and policy environment for business development.
According to the action plan, Qingdao will focus on 6 aspects including key industry chain system, attracting foreign investment, attracting state-owned enterprises, attracting private enterprises, upgrading platforms, investment promotion at city/district level, and attracting talent, and adopt 6 reform measures including promoting market-based investment promotion, building an investment environment under the rule of law, providing investment and talent services in a scientific style, expanding investment channels worldwide, implementing the accountability system, and giving top priority to project promotion, so as to unify the industrial, capital, technique and talent chains to enhance the quality and quantity of investment introduction.
Zhao Shiyu, director-general of Qingdao Bureau of Commerce, said that Qingdao would step up market-based investment promotion, improve the transparency of public resources, government services and policies, work out society-based measures for professional investment promotion, encourage the development of private professional investment promotion companies, build a “government+enterprise” operation system, and establish an mixed ownership investment promotion company.
Meanwhile, Qingdao is constructing a promotion system composed of an investment promotion network, a talent database, an activity database and a project database. In addition, a capacity enhancement center for the introduction of investment and talent will be established in Qingdao, supported by a team of investment promotion consultants, project experts.
Considerate Services Key to Optimization of Business Environment
Qingdao has taken measures to build a service-oriented government and create an international business environment under the rule of law, with the least possible approval items, the shortest approval time and the best services.The measures include a “one-time approval” commitment for 1885 municipal-level approval items, 52 percent of which can be processed online; and a “3540” reform program, that is, business registration is completed within 3 working days; real estate registration is completed within 5 working days; and construction project approval is completed with in 40 working days.
Measures to Attract Foreign Investment
In 2019, Qingdao will hold “Qingdao Week” in six countries including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, the United States and Britain, establish a mechanism for exchanges with Japan, South Korea and Germany, strengthen contact with the United States, Britain and other countries, enhance cooperation with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, attract high-quality international resources, and make full use of international exhibitions and media to attract foreign capital and talent.
Qingdao will also take advantage of such international platforms as the Boao Forum for Asia Global Health Conference, the Qingdao Summit of Leaders of Transnational Corporations and other high-end international exhibitions to promote the city image, follow global trends and attract foreign investment and talent.
