A New Chapter of Brave Tide Chart - Frontline Observation of High Quality Development in Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan at the Frontline of Reform and Opening up - Free Trade Port | China | Qionggao

Calm is the tide and the banks are broad. Gentle is the wind and the sail is stretching.

The construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area is in full swing, the opening of Hainan Free Trade Port is taking strong steps, and the development of the Fujian Digital Silk Road is taking strong steps... When reporters recently conducted research and visited Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan, they deeply felt the vitality and vitality that emerged everywhere at the forefront of reform and opening up.

During his inspection tour of Guangdong in April 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that we should unswervingly deepen reform and expand high-level opening up to the outside world, and take the lead in promoting Chinese-style modernization;

During his inspection tour of Fujian in March 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that he would show greater achievements in serving and integrating into the new development pattern, and strive to write a chapter in building a socialist modern country in Fujian in an all-round way;

During his inspection tour of Hainan in April 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that we should emancipate our minds, blaze new trails, unite and struggle, overcome difficulties, and speed up the construction of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics with world influence.

Under the guidance of Xi Jinping's thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, the three provinces of Guangdong, Fujian and Qiong are promoting reform and opening up with greater courage and at a higher starting point, constantly gathering strong momentum for high-quality development, and continuing to write a new chapter that dares to be the first and stand up to the forefront.

Connecting internal and external water supply, presenting a new atmosphere of development

Giant ships berth, tower cranes stand tall, and trucks shuttle back and forth. At the Nansha Port Port in Guangzhou, fresh durians from Thailand continuously enter the Chinese market.

This is the fully automated terminal of Phase IV in Nansha Port Area, Guangzhou Port, captured on July 28, 2022. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Deng Hua

Thanks to its complete logistics infrastructure and efficient port clearance efficiency, Nansha Port has become the largest durian import port in mainland China. "Fresh durians can arrive at Nansha Port in Thailand in just 4 days from Linchaban Port, and it only takes 1.5 hours from unloading at the port to arriving at the largest fruit wholesale market in South China," said Tian Min, Deputy Director of the Nansha District Bureau of Commerce in Guangzhou.

At present, this port has opened over 150 international liner routes, connecting more than 300 ports in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. By 2022, the total container throughput will exceed 18 million TEUs.

Standing by the sea, thriving because of the sea. Ports are not only a key hub for connecting domestic and international dual circulation, but also an important platform for carrying out high-level opening up to the outside world.

This is the scenery of Xuwen Port in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, captured on May 26, 2023. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Deng Hua

From the edge of the water, overlooking the north and south sides of the Qiongzhou Strait from a high altitude, Xuwen Port in Zhanjiang, Guangdong and Xinhai Port in Haikou, Hainan face each other across the sea. Since the opening of Xuwen Port in 2020, the sea voyage between Guangdong and Hainan has been shortened by half, taking only about an hour to reach the opposite shore. Nowadays, the comprehensive transportation hub projects constructed by the two ports have either been put into operation or entered the sprint stage, driving the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area and Hainan Free Trade Port to travel in both directions.

Vehicles are queuing up to board the ship at Xinhai Port in Haikou City, Hainan Province. Photo by Yang Guanyu, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

"The direction of the Greater Bay Area and the Free Trade Port is of great significance for China to accelerate the construction of a new development pattern." Liu Feng, Director of the China Characteristic Free Trade Port Research Center at Hainan Normal University, said that the Greater Bay Area and the Free Trade Port are linked and working together to create an important hub for dual circulation, which is expected to build a new highland for China's opening up and exchange cooperation with the outside world.

From promoting tangible infrastructure interconnectivity to creating intangible institutional openness as a new highland, the high-quality development of the Guangdong Fujian Hainan region continues to show vitality.

At the factory of Xiamen Taikoo Aircraft Engineering Co., Ltd. located in the Xiamen Free Trade Zone, technicians are conducting aircraft maintenance and repair. As of June 2nd, the number of aircraft entering Xiamen for maintenance has exceeded 100 this year, which is two months ahead of last year's figure.

Li Zhenglin, General Manager of Xiamen Aviation Industry Co., Ltd. and Vice Chairman of Xiamen Taikoo Aircraft Engineering Co., Ltd., said that the favorable policy of exempting import tariffs on aviation materials has solved the problem of high tariff costs for enterprises to undertake maintenance business, further assisting the development of Xiamen's aviation maintenance industry.

In Haikou Fuxing City Internet Information Industrial Park, the former catering and entertainment street has become a hot spot for innovation and entrepreneurship. "Since settling down here in March last year, the enterprise has reached cooperation with multiple financial and communication companies." Zhao Jian, CEO of Affinity Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., said, "The construction prospects of the free trade port are broad and contain unlimited opportunities."

This is the first area of the Internet Information Industrial Park in Haikou Fuxing City, Hainan Free Trade Port, photographed on February 8, 2023. Photo by Yang Guanyu, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

Continuously deepening reform and opening up will bring dividends to the development of enterprises and benefit the lives of the people.

In the first quarter, newly established foreign-invested enterprises in Guangdong and Fujian increased by 33.1% and 16.5% year-on-year, respectively, ranking among the top in the country in terms of growth rate; As of May, the growth rate of Hainan's operating entities has remained at the forefront of the country for 39 consecutive months... A better business environment has attracted more domestic and foreign enterprises to invest and develop.

This is the exhibition booth of Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, which was filmed on May 9, 2021 at the China International Consumer Goods Expo. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Cheng

As of now, Hainan Boao Lecheng has introduced over 300 types of international innovative medical devices; Introducing 45 well-known domestic and foreign universities to the International Education Innovation Island; Since the implementation of the new policy in July 2020, duty-free shopping on outlying islands has achieved a sales revenue of over 130 billion yuan... More people are enjoying diverse and high-quality products and services.

This is the International Education Innovation Experimental Zone Park captured on June 27, 2023 in Lingshui, Hainan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Yongzhen

Make good use of the "key move" of reform and opening up, and in accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, the forefront of reform and opening up will continue to shine with new vitality.

Consumers are shopping in Haikou International Duty Free City, Hainan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Liyun

Continuous innovation is endless, leveraging new vitality for development

In the final assembly workshop of GAC Aian New Energy Vehicle Co., Ltd., industrial robots flexibly wave their robotic arms and proficiently complete each instruction. The fastest time a new energy vehicle can be taken offline here is every 53 seconds.

This is a robot arm shot on July 3, 2023 at the new energy vehicle welding and assembly workshop of Guangzhou GAC Aian First Intelligent Manufacturing Center. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Deng Hua

Behind high efficiency lies the support of independent research and development. "The ultra-high flexibility technology group pioneered by the enterprise enables factories to achieve zero loss in vehicle production switching and improve production efficiency by 20%." Zheng Chunqi, Deputy General Manager of GAC Aian, said that the 100% domestically produced supercar independently designed and developed by the enterprise will be put into mass production in October this year.

Emerging industries strengthen the backbone, while traditional industries bloom with new flowers. Located on the Haitian Flavor Industry soy sauce production line in Foshan, a drop of soy sauce needs to undergo nearly 500 digital intelligent inspections before it can leave the factory; On the hot rolling production line of Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., a 25 ton steel coil can be produced in an average of 100 seconds... The combination of hard core technology and intelligent production has opened up new space for the development of traditional industries.

This is the production workshop of Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., captured on June 13, 2023 on Donghai Island, Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gong Bing

Innovation is the primary driving force for development, not only injecting fresh water into enterprise development, but also building an independent, controllable, safe and efficient industrial and supply chain, and building a modern industrial system.

Entering the production workshop of Ningde Times in Ningde City, Fujian Province, the reporter saw blue battery cells efficiently transmitted from the production line, and the batteries were assembled here and sold globally. Now, CATL has been the world's leading market share for power batteries for six consecutive years.

This is a photo taken on June 24, 2022, in front of the technology building of Ningde Times New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., of an intelligent charging station for optical storage and charging inspection. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lin Shan

Riding on the momentum of industrial development, CATL has not only embarked on a fast track of development, but also driven the rapid development of a large number of supporting enterprises in the industrial chain. According to Zheng Chenbin, Deputy Director of the Industry and Information Technology Bureau of Ningde City, in recent years, driven by leading enterprises, Ningde City has introduced more than 80 industrial chain projects for construction, focusing on extending, supplementing, and strengthening the chain, connecting research and development, manufacturing, and service, and forming a globally leading lithium-ion new energy industry.

At present, Fujian is focusing on building 21 strategic emerging industry clusters at or above the provincial level, while Guangdong is promoting the construction of 20 strategic industry clusters, adhering to the principle of "manufacturing as the mainstay", and striving to promote the construction of modern industrial system pillars.

Adhering to innovation driven development and aiming to achieve high-level technological self-reliance and self-improvement, Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan are striving to solve the bottleneck problem in more and more fields.

At the breeding base of Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City in Sanya, Hainan, the reporter witnessed the technological power in the manufacturing process of agricultural "chips": planting, plowing, drainage, and other work are all worry free, and the growth cycle data of each seed can be fully monitored

"The park is implementing the 'unveiling and leading' project and carrying out joint research on key technologies for seed industry innovation. Xia Mian, the head of the Cooperation and Exchange Department of Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory, introduced that this approach of enterprise question setting, scientific research unit answering, and market evaluation effectively promotes the close 'hand in hand' between scientific research and industry.".

At the Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory in Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, Sanya City, Hainan Province, researchers from Longping Biotechnology Company are conducting scientific research work. Photo by Yang Guanyu, journalist from Xinhua News Agency

Gradually transforming the "key variables" of technology into the "maximum increment" of high-quality industrial development, Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City continuously achieves a leap from 1 to N. A high standard, open and shared "seed industry+deep sea" technology innovation platform cluster is gradually taking shape in the Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City of Sanya, with a construction scale of over 600000 square meters of various technology innovation carriers, 16 public technology service platforms, 9649 registered enterprises, and 19 research institutes.

Embrace a better life and embark on a happy new future

Ten thousand trees are lush and verdant, ready to drip. Walking at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain in Maona Village, not only can you experience the natural scenery of the tropical rainforest, but you can also pick, stir fry, and taste tea here, experiencing the Li and Miao ethnic customs.

"In recent years, more and more tourists have come to Wuzhishan, and the 'tea tourism integration' industry has become increasingly popular," said Li Guangsheng, the person in charge of Hainan Yalami Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd. After working outside for more than 10 years and optimistic about the development of his hometown's tourism industry, he chose to return to his hometown for development in March last year, and more deeply felt the profound connotation that green mountains and clear waters are invaluable assets.

The moving picture of thriving industries, livable ecology, and beautiful life is slowly unfolding on the vast land of rural areas and in bustling cities.

"Now you can get to Guangdong with just one step on the gas pedal, it's so convenient!" Mr. Li, a Hong Kong car owner, excitedly said. Starting from 0:00 on July 1st, "Hong Kong Motor Vehicles Going North" was officially implemented. Hong Kong motor vehicle owners who meet the conditions can enjoy the convenience of travel in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area after making an appointment for customs clearance in Hong Kong.

A series of policies, such as "Macau Cars Moving North", "Hong Kong Cars Moving North", and "New Ten Measures for Entrepreneurship and Employment of Hong Kong and Macao Youth", are accelerating their implementation, promoting deep integration between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, and helping to build a high-quality living circle that is livable, suitable for business, and suitable for tourism, as well as a vibrant international first-class bay area new center.

Local single license plate vehicles in Hong Kong are driving on the Hong Kong section of the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Duo

Emerging from reform and opening up, standing at a new starting point and embarking on a new journey, Guangdong, Fujian, and Hainan continue to take on the responsibility of being pioneers, firmly deepening reforms comprehensively and expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world——

The State Council recently issued the "Several Measures for Pilot Connection with International High Standards and Promoting Institutional Opening up in Conditional Free Trade Pilot Zones and Free Trade Ports", taking the lead in pilot connection with relevant international high standard economic and trade rules in five eligible free trade pilot zones and Hainan Free Trade Port in Shanghai, Guangdong, Tianjin, Fujian, and Beijing, and steadily promoting institutional opening up. The pioneer of reform and opening up has ushered in a new historical mission.

On July 1st, the main project of the Sanya Airport International Terminal renovation and expansion project was completed and put into operation, becoming the first closed operation project of Hainan Free Trade Port with the main project completed and put into use.

At present, preparations for the operation of Hainan Island wide customs clearance have been fully launched, and 25 of the first batch of 31 projects have started construction. The first batch of 27 policy pressure testing work is also being orderly promoted. "We will focus on the task list, project list, and stress test list for the preparation of the customs closure operation, accelerate the island's customs closure operation, and strive to build Hainan Free Trade Port into a landmark achievement of Chinese path to modernization." said Li Yufei, deputy director of the Shenzhen Reform Office of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee.

By leveraging the linkage effect between domestic and international markets and two types of resources, China's door to opening up is becoming wider and there are more and more development opportunities.

From investing 2 billion yuan to build ABB Xiamen Industrial Center, to investing 1 billion yuan to build ABB Shanghai fully automated flexible production robot super factory, Cai Jianbo, General Manager of ABB Switch Co., Ltd. in Xiamen, said that the real investment demonstrates the group's determination to deeply cultivate China. "China is ABB's second largest global market, and we are confident in its future development."

The wind is strong and surging, chasing the waves forward.

On the new journey, Guangdong, Fujian, and Qiong, a hot land of reform and opening up, are setting sail on the path of high-quality development with the courage to be the vanguard and the courage and perseverance to work hard.

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