Industrial parks

At present, there are 179 various industrial parks in Tianjin ranging from aviation and aerospace, petro-chemical, automobile, electronic information, modern metallurgy, machinery equipment manufacture, biomedical, new energy resources and materials, environmental protection, and property rights, 19 parks of which each occupy a floor area of over five square kilometers and there are nine parks whose annual revenue is over 20 billion yuan. Together, four of the nation’s new type of industrialization bases including the TEDA automobile industry model base, Tianjin Binhai petro-chemical industry model base, TEDA electronic information industry base, and Tianjin airport industrial park aerospace and aviation industry model base, have contributed to a magnificent total industry output of 867 billion yuan.

Tianjin Economic-Technology Development Area (TEDA)

TEDA, one of the first national-level economic and technological development areas in the country, gained approval from the State Council in 1984. In 2009, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the area reached 121.5 billion yuan and the industrial output totaled 420.2 billion yuan, which helped maintain a leading economic status among other national-level areas of its kind. At the end of May, 2010, almost 5,000 foreign-funded enterprises had settled in the development area with an accumulative investment of US$ 56.9 billion, of which US$ 24.1 billion have been actually used. Investments in some 841 projects surpassed US$ 10 million, in 43 projects exceeded US$ 100 billion while in two projects amounted to more than US$ 1 billion. A total of 76 enterprises from the World Top 500 Companies have invested in 158 projects in the development area.

The development area is roughly made up of nine leading industries: The electronic communications industry represented by Motorola, Samsung, and Panasonic; the automobile industry led by FAW Toyota and Great Wall Motor; The biological medicine industry with GlaxoSmithKline, Novo Nordiskh, and Zhongxin Pharmaceutical as representatives; The food and beverage industry represented by Bunge, Ting Hsin International Group, Nestle, and Coca-Cola; the new energy, new materials, and environmental protection industry led by Vestas, Kyocera China, and Tianjin Motimo Membrane Technology; The equipment manufacturing industry with Otis, SEW, and john Deere as representatives; the petro-chemical industry represented by CNPC Bohai Drilling Engineering Company, GWDC, and Cabot Corporation; the aviation industry represented by the industrialization base for new-generation launch vehicle; and the modern service industries, including finance, logistics, and outsourcing industries. TEDA has become the largest production base for mobile phones, base stations, electronic components, flat televisions, enzyme preparation, solar panels, and instant food.

TEDA topped other national-level development areas in terms of investment environments for 12 years in a row evaluated by the Ministry of Commerce. UNIDO also rated TEDA as one of the six most dynamic cities and regions of China. World famous magazines “Fortune” and “Forbes” selected TEDA as “China’s most admirable industrial park”.

TEDA is making every effort to coordinate the development of its economy and society, which is dedicated to developing cleaner production, its green and low –carbon economy, land its recycling economy for an ecologically ideal living place. So far, the greenery area of TEDA has surpassed 16.55 million square meters, bringing its coverage to 21.5 percent. It has been selected as one of the first national pilot parks for the recycling economy and one of the demonstration areas of three ecological industrial parks.

Tianjin Binhai Hi-tech Industrial Development Area (TBHIDA)

TBHIDA was set up by the CPC Tianjin Committee and the Municipal Government in 1988. Three years later in 1991, it was approved by the State Council to become one of the first national Hi-tech industrial parks. TBHIDA upholds the creed of developing its economy relying on science and technology. Major economic indicators have been increasing at a speed of over 30 percent with continuous optimization of its environment, constant increase of innovation capability, and incessant expansion of its industrial scale. A large number of hi-tech enterprises with independent intellectual property rights have sprang up catalyzing the emergence of five advanced pillar industries of green energy, software and high-end information manufacture, bio-pharmacy, advanced manufacture, and modern service industry.

As the national advanced hi-tech industrial area entitled by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2001, it was classified as the national intellectual property rights pilot model park in 2005. Located at its core region, the Huayuan Industrial Park has been approved to be an ISO14000 national model area. In the meantime, Binhai Hi-tech Area has become nation’s first innovative hi-tech zone jointly established by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the city of Tianjin. Furthermore, TBHIDA was listed by the Ministry of Science and Technology among the country’s first pilot sites for innovative science and technology parks.

Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone

Established in May, 1991 and credited as a key economic function area in Tianjin Binhai New Area and the largest free trade zone in the North of China, Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone enjoys preferential policies in customs and foreign exchange and is specialized in international trade, modern logistics, port processing, and commodity exhibition. In 2002, Tianjin Airport Economic Area was set up to meet the development requirements of Binhai New Area, making Tianjin Bonded Port an open area with perfect policies and comprehensive functions. Till the end of June, 2010, the Free Trade Zone had accumulatively injected 90 billion yuan of fixed-asset investment. Meanwhile, the import and export products was valued at US$ 237.5 billion. At present, more than 7,500 companies have been regeistered in the bonded area, of which 72 from the World Top 500 Companies have invested in 122 projects. A number of leading industrial clusters in the fields of international trade, modern logistics, civil aviation, communication, equipment manufacturing, R&D hatching, headquarters economy, and port processing, have taken shape. More than 30 renowned corporations from home and abroad including Airbus and Chinese helicopter Companies, have settled in the bonded area, which allow the aviation industry to grow rapidly turning into one of the most essential and advanced sectors of the area. Hi-tech projects such as Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academy of Opto-electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin Neusoft Software Park, and CSC, have contributed to the leading status of the Free Trade Zone’s hi-tech industry and R&D transformation in Tianjin. Additionally, trade and logistic companies including Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation China Group, 3M, Lufthansa, SK, NYK, Metso, and Heidelberg, have further enhanced the service function of Tianjin and Tianjin Binhai New Area. Also, enterprises and funds such as Philippine SM Group, IBM Factoring (China) Co., Ltd., Citibank, Mylin Holding Group, Morgan Stanley, COSCO, Minsheng Financial Leasing Co., Ltd., Sequoia Capital, and China Ship Fund, have firmly facilitated the development of the modern service industry in Tianjin.

The area provides high standard living conditions and environment for its residents and investors by offering comprehensive services and facilities including hotels, an international hospital, schools, kindergartens, dwellings, houses, entertainment and sports centers. Philippine SM Group, one of the world’s largest shopping mall developers and operators, has invested in the “Binhai First City” project, which is expected to be the world’s largest single shopping mall.