Qingyuan's achievement in attracting investment is partly because of the industrial transfer in the Pearl River, in China and in the world, the official said. Many manufacturing industrial projects have moved to the city from other better-developed Pearl River Delta cities in the past few years.

While redoubling efforts to improve the infrastructure, he said, Qingyuan has adjusted many of the policies in terms of land leasing, tax incentives, power and water supplies, logistics and labour costs for foreign investors to help their investments grow.

The municipal government has set up an administration service centre to make it convenient for foreign investors to go through all the procedures relating to investment.

The mayor said that the municipal government has done a lot to help foreign investors solve problems they encounter in their business operations, such as helping them look for workers when the province is in urgent need of migrant workers.

He said the city government would encourage investors to involve themselves more in projects related to the development of local natural resources, environmentally friendly industries, as well as technology-intensive industries.

He said Qingyuan had stepped out of the doldrums of low industrialization and underdeveloped infrastructure and its economic development has been gaining momentum.

Qingyuan topped in Guangdong Province in the growth rates of gross domestic product (GDP), gross industrial output value, incremental industrial output value, retailing volume consumer goods, exports, utilization of foreign capital and investment in fixed assets. The city also ranked second in terms of growth rate of fiscal revenue in 2005, compared to its position last year.

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