Wuqing District of Tianjin Municipality, located at the core area of the Jing-Jin-Ji (Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei Province) area, is hailed as “the golden corridor of Beijing-Tianjin economic development.” In recent years, Wuqing takes the initiative to adapt to the economic new normal, proactively put into practice the advanced development concept, and comprehensively upgrades its economic transition through supply-side reform.

In the first four months of this year, Wuqing's GDP reached 33.5 billion yuan, increasing by 12 percent; its general public budgetary revenue reached 4.81 billion yuan, up 14 percent; per capita disposable income of rural residents stood at 8,100 yuan, increasing by 10 percent. The district is comprehensively promoting its industrial transformation and upgrading, and striving to improve both the quantity and the quality of economic development.

By Wu Ziran

An attraction to leading companies

VIP Goddess Festival, JD 315 Festival, Jiuxian 319 Spring Promotion…Along with the robust promotional activities of e-commerce websites, trucks filled with products head to various regions in north China from Tianjin E-Commerce Industrial Park located in Cuihuangkou Town of Wuqing District.

In recent years, the e-commerce industrial park, in keeping with the new trend of e-commerce boom, creates the miracle of doubling year-on-year growth for four consecutive years in gross regional output and tax revenue. Till the end of 2015, the industrial park had brought in over 260 e-commerce enterprises in total, over 40 of which are listed companies. Its annual output value exceeds 40 billion yuan and pays tax worth of over 1 billion yuan. It has become one of the industrial parks with the highest investment and highest tax revenue in Tianjin.

As early as in 2009, the e-commerce industrial park's predecessor — Tianjin Carpet Industrial Park — was established in Cuihuangkou Town, which was known as the “home of carpet.” However, the newly founded carpet park was mired in losses of revenue as the carpet enterprises were short of science and technology support and innovation. In 2011, the carpet park turned in taxes of merely 50 million yuan. In June 2012, Wuqing's transportation advantage and sound administrative environment attracted China's largest vertical e-commerce website — VipShop — to establish its north China headquarters in the carpet park. This high-quality project charted a new development course for the carpet industrial park. In 2003, Tianjin Carpet Industrial Park gained Tianjin municipal government's approval to change its name to “Beijing-Tianjin E-Commerce Industrial Park.” JD Mall, Jiuxian.com, FineEx and other leading companies in the e-commerce industry successively moved into the e-commerce park.

Wuqing grasps the opportunity to successfully attract 19 of top 20 B2C e-commerce companies including Alibaba and Dangdang to settle in the park, forming an industrial chain involving 390 companies in e-commerce and relevant supporting industries. The district's sales value in 2015 reached 100 billion yuan. It is estimated that by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), Wuqing will have brought in 1,000 related companies, and achieved annual sales of 300 billion yuan.

The cluster development of industries requires a clear and reasonable geographical layout. Currently, Wuqing Development Zone is a base for high-end manufacturing industry; Wuqing Business District is a base for financial industry; the e-commerce park is home to IT companies and relevant supporting industries; the automobile park for automobile and spare parts manufacturing; the Beijing-Tianjin Science And Technology Valley, Beijing-Binhai Industrial Park, and Beijing-Tianjin Gaocun Science and Technology Innovation Park are a destination of relocation of Beijing's high-tech industries such as technology research and development.

High-quality industrial platform is an inexhaustible driving force of Wuqing's transition and development.

Rising manufacturing and

service industries

Up until now, Wuqing becomes home to five leading industries: machinery manufacturing, electronic information, automobile spare parts, biological medicine and new materials. The district is forming several 100-billion-yuan level industrial clusters. In 2015, the whole district realized an output value of more than 211.5 billion yuan, and owned 858 enterprises, 451 among which have been successfully transformed.

The RoboTop has been held in Wuqing for two consecutive years, and the district's robot industry is developing rapidly. Ninebot Inc., as China's first company integrating manufacturing, selling and providing services of smart transportation products, possesses more than 10 inventions and practical patented technologies and becomes the world's leading company in safety and control of self-balancing transportation products. Currently, Wuqing has brought in more than 30 robot companies, including Aizhiwei, Tianruibo and Doolim.

It is worth mentioning that Zhongwang Aluminum Co. Ltd. and BYD Auto's new energy bus project are also making contributions to the development of Wuqing's new material and new energy industries.

Meanwhile, Wuqing will simultaneously develop its high-end commerce and leisure tourism industries. Modern service industry and high-end manufacturing industry will both become the robust driving forces of Wuqing's development.

In Delord imported goods shopping center in Wuqing, over 20,000 kinds of imported goods, such as German beer, Argentine red shrimp, Korean facial masks, are available for consumption. It attracts a lot of customers from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province. The center now has a monthly turnover of over 7 million yuan on average. “I used to shop on overseas websites, but since Delord opened last November, I started to buy imported goods from here. It has good price and good quality,” said Ms. Wang.

As the first imported goods shopping center in north China, Delord has attracted over 20 renowned e-commerce giants. Its products are directly supplied through legal channels from Europe, North America, Oceania, Asia and other places, covering a wide range of products including daily necessities, cold-chain transported food, mother and baby products, health care products, etc. “Since we purchase products directly from overseas producers, our cost is greatly reduced. Therefore, our prices are 15-30 percent lower than the market prices.” Song Qingguo, Delord's operation director said, “Customers can either choose to buy things directly in the shopping center or buy them online by scanning the QR code of the product. Products shopped online will be delivered to their home in two days.”

Besides, as Creativo's first-phase project comes to its completion, more than 100 high-class house & home brands will successively move into Creativo. The first NBA center outside America will be located here with an NBA basketball court and an NBA gym. After the project is finished, Creativo will become another name card of Wuqing, together with the Florentia Village Outlet Mall, the Veneto business center, the Victory Kingdom Theme Park and the North Canal Tourism Belt.

Technology and talents

Innovation is the source for industrial transformation. Wuqing has grasped the opportunity to build independent innovation demonstration zones to spur economic development. On Chase Sun Pharmaceutical's automatic production line, bottles of Xuebijing injection are being moved out on the conveyor belt and packed after passing the automatic testing. As the key product of Chase Sun, Xuebijing achieved sales revenue of nearly 2 billion yuan and was used by more than 2,600 hospitals in 2015.

Currently, Chase Sun Pharmaceutical has more than 100 patents on new drugs and is commissioned over 30 research projects for the Ministry of Science and Technology and National Development and Reform Commission, and has over 30 new drugs in research. The company has benefited greatly from innovation — its sales revenue in 2015 amounted to 5 billion yuan. It is now striving to achieve sales revenue of 10 billion yuan in 2017. Chase Sun is just one example that demonstrates the strategy of invigorating Wuqing through technological innovation. The Institute for New Fiber Materials of the China Textile Academy, located in Wuqing Industrial Park, takes the lead in medical alginate fiber and the super cotton polyester fiber in the textile industry in China and the world.

Moreover, a number of famous universities and national research institutes have set up programs in Wuqing. Wuqing has cooperation with 68 universities including Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Wuhan University and have introduced 72 programs that transform research results of the I-Cube Robot and BUAA Intelligent Manufacturing Institute.

Wuqing attaches great importance to nurturing technological enterprises. This year alone, 537 new such enterprises set up offices in Wuqing, raising the total to 6,871. In the 13th Five-Year Plan period, Wuqing is poised to become a hub for high-end manufacturing and research and modern services. Wuqing will attach equal importance to attracting enterprises from other districts and cities while nurturing internal ones; it will raise the level of industrial development and promote industrial convergence to generate sustainable growth; it will build a modern industrial system featuring high-end manufacturing, modern services and modern urban agriculture. Wuqing will give full play to its geographic comparative advantage and promote industrial innovation to make the district a pivotal place for innovation in China.

Looking ahead, Wuqing will steadfastly move toward the middle- and high-end industrial chain so as to create a better life for all of its residents.