By Sun Lei
Hong Kong Economic Herald
Zhaoqing is an important node city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and an important part of the Guangzhou metropolitan area. In recent years, Zhaoqing has insisted on focusing on the manufacturing industry on the journey of high-quality development, and has introduced a series of policies and measures to strengthen the real economy and assist the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, Zhaoqing vigorously implemented the “Ten Actions” for the manufacturing industry and successfully created two 100-billion-yuan industrial clusters for new energy vehicles and new energy storage, demonstrating Zhaoqing’s comprehensive promotion of high-quality development of the manufacturing industry. Determination and strength.
Standing on a new journey, how can Zhaoqing accelerate the development of new productive forces, plan and layout industrial development, and make the manufacturing industry bigger and stronger? During the National Two Sessions, the reporter interviewed Xu Xiaoxiong, deputy to the National People’s Congress and mayor of Zhaoqing.
Reporter: How has Zhaoqing implemented the relevant deployment requirements of the central government and Guangdong in recent years and unswervingly expanded and strengthened its manufacturing industry? What results have been achieved?
Xu Xiaoxiong: Manufacturing has always been Guangdong’s deep “industry” and the foundation for Guangdong’s high-quality development. Guangdong insists on focusing on the manufacturing industry and strengthening and optimizing the real economy. It has successively issued relevant policies and measures such as the “Opinions of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China on Building a Strong Manufacturing Province with High Quality”, once again clarifying the important strategic position of the manufacturing industry.
Since the “14th Five-Year Plan”, we have fully implemented the deployment requirements of the central and provincial governments on promoting high-quality development of the manufacturing industry, adhered to the real economy as the basis and the manufacturing industry as the leader, vigorously implemented the “Ten Actions” for the manufacturing industry, and strived to create new energy Automobiles and new energy storage are two 100-billion industry clusters. The main practices and results are:
First, continue to strengthen the clear orientation of large-scale industrial investment. Focusing on advanced manufacturing, we have held more than 120 large-scale investment promotion events such as the Zhaoqing Global Investment Conference since last year, matched with more than 3,000 enterprises, and planned to invest more than 100 billion yuan in the introduction of manufacturing projects. We launched a manufacturing project construction campaign and completed nearly 10,000 acres of “cooked land” for industrial use. Industrial investment increased by more than 20%, maintaining double-digit growth for three consecutive years, and promoted the realization of 172 new manufacturing projects that were started and completed throughout the year. 175 units and 127 units were put into production. At the same time, the industry chain orientation and innovation capability orientation are strengthened. Among the newly introduced manufacturing projects, high-tech enterprises and specialized and new “little giant” enterprises account for more than 40%.
The second is to continue to promote the agglomeration of emerging industries. The total output value of the three emerging industries of new energy vehicles, new energy storage, and electronic information has increased by 1.82 times in the past four years, reaching 167.5 billion yuan. In terms of the new energy vehicle industry, Zhaoqing has become an important city in the province’s new energy vehicle industry and has been included in the province’s “14th Five-Year Plan”. There are nearly a hundred regulated companies, covering complete vehicles, power batteries, motors and electronic controls, chassis and In fields such as lightweighting, the industrial output value exceeded 80 billion last year. In terms of the new energy storage industry, Zhaoqing has carried out all-round strategic cooperation with “chain master” companies such as CATL, and major projects such as Putilai and GCL have successively settled. The output of energy storage lithium batteries accounts for 1/6 of the country’s total, and a chemical storage industry has initially formed. The energy-based manufacturing industry ecology has been listed as a key city for energy storage industry agglomeration on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary, with an industrial output value of nearly 50 billion yuan in 2023. In terms of electronic information, Fenghua Hi-Tech has been listed as the “chain master” enterprise in the key industrial chain of the provincial strategic industrial cluster. Leading projects such as Xizhen Circuit and Guanxu Electronics have been put into production and construction. Zhaoqing has become the center for R&D, production and development of new components and basic electronic information products. Export base. Since the beginning of this year, we have successively promoted the settlement of the South China headquarters and hydrogen fuel cell R&D and production base projects of Hydrogen Lan Technology, and the start of the west park of the Xpeng Intelligent Automotive Parts Industrial Park. We are also among the top 100 cities for foreign trade in China and the top 100 cities for advanced manufacturing in the country, which shows that Zhaoqing’s advanced manufacturing industry already has a certain industrial scale and influence.
The third is to continue to promote the accelerated transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. We regard the promotion of industrial technological transformation as the key to maintaining the vitality of the manufacturing industry. Last year, the city completed an investment of more than 20 billion yuan in industrial technological transformation, growing rapidly for many consecutive years. It was approved to implement the provincial pilot city for digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises, and a total of 691 enterprises above designated standards were promoted to implement digital transformation. Gaoyao Intelligent Hardware, Sihui Polymer Synthetic Materials, etc. have become national and provincial characteristic industrial clusters of small and medium-sized enterprises, and the recycling transformation of 6 parks has passed provincial and above acceptance.
Reporter: Based on promoting the deep integration of industrial digitalization, intelligence and greening, from the two dimensions of industrial layout and park layout, how does Zhaoqing plan to develop the manufacturing industry in the future and deeply embed it in the Greater Bay Area industrial chain?
Xu Xiaoxiong: From the perspective of industrial layout, we focus on connecting with 20 strategic industrial clusters in Guangdong Province, focusing on developing and expanding “leading + characteristic” industries, aiming at future industries to explore new breakthroughs, and strive to achieve the city’s industrial investment of over 100 billion yuan this year, new energy The output value of the automobile industry exceeds 100 billion yuan, and the formation of three 100-billion-level industrial clusters including new energy vehicles, new energy storage, and metal processing is accelerating. The main path and key starting point is to be deeply embedded in Guangdong Province’s trillion-level industrial clusters, deepen supporting cooperation with hundreds of billions-level leading enterprises, and strive to find Zhaoqing’s position among them. In terms of leading industries, it participates in the provincial auto parts industry strong chain project, supports local auto parts companies to integrate into the supply chain systems of chain owners such as BYD, GAC, and Xpeng, and forms a collaborative pattern with the new energy vehicle industry ecology in central cities. Focusing on the joint construction of the energy storage battery industry cluster on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary, we will introduce chain extension and chain reinforcement projects such as the construction of energy storage equipment, positive (negative) electrode materials, and battery recycling, and build an advanced manufacturing base. Promote the electronic information industry to participate in the upstream and downstream supporting industry chains on the east bank of the Pearl River, and build a new electronic components cluster. In terms of featured industries, focusing on the needs of the industrial chain and supply chain in the Greater Bay Area, we will promote the transformation and development of new materials into front-end material applications in emerging industries, accelerate the transformation and upgrading of industries such as metal processing, green building materials, food and beverages, and form a tiered development and strong supporting industry. 100-billion-yuan and 100-billion-yuan characteristic industrial clusters.
From the perspective of park layout, we have accelerated the construction of the city’s “344” park development pattern and proactively taken over various industries and innovative resource elements in the Greater Bay Area. Promote the contiguous development of the three major industrial development core parks of Guangdong Province (Zhaoqing), Zhaoqing High-tech Zone, and Zhaoqing New District, integrate the industrial layout of central cities in the Greater Bay Area, and create a “10,000-acre, 100-billion-dollar” industrial development platform. Taking the municipal management area of a large industrial agglomeration area in Guangdong Province (Zhaoqing) as an example, it takes an average of 3.8 days to introduce a project here, and an average of 8 days for a project to realize land supply and start construction, showing a vigorous momentum of the main platform and the main battlefield. Promote the differentiated development of characteristic parks in the four districts (cities) in the eastern sector and the four counties in the western sector, and actively undertake the transfer of high-quality industries from central cities in the Greater Bay Area. Scientifically and rationally build an industrial park development pattern of “one county, one park, one characteristic”, such as Duanzhou Electronic Components Park, Sihui Fine Chemical Park, Gaoyao Auto Parts Park, Huaiji Food Processing Industrial Park, Deqing Fan Equipment Park, etc. Provide high-quality space conditions for the orderly transfer of industries in the Greater Bay Area. Promote the overall quality and efficiency improvement of industrial parks. The infrastructure of the industrial parks in the 4 districts (cities) in the eastern sector has reached the “nine connections and one leveling” standard, and the 4 counties in the western sector have reached the “eight connections and one leveling” standard. At the same time, the entry threshold for the park has been strictly controlled, and indicators such as the average output per mu of the park have been continuously improved, striving to By 2025, the city’s total industrial output value will be close to 500 billion yuan.
Reporter: At this year’s National Two Sessions, new productivity has become a high-frequency word in local plans. How does Zhaoqing develop new productivity and promote high-quality development of the manufacturing industry?
Xu Xiaoxiong: On the one hand, we take technological innovation as the guide and coordinate the promotion of the upgrading of traditional industries, the growth of emerging industries, and the cultivation of future industries. Maintain sensitivity and attention to cutting-edge technologies, lay out the industrial chain around the development of new productive forces, and stand up the “backbone” of Zhaoqing’s manufacturing industry. The first is to deeply connect with the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Science and Technology Innovation Corridor and build Zhaoqing into a regional carrier for accelerating industrialization. Build platform carriers such as Zhaoqing National High-tech Zone, improve the laboratory system led by Xijiang Laboratory and Fenghua High-Tech State Key Laboratory, and build a whole-process innovation chain of “basic research + technological research + achievement transformation + science and technology finance + talent support” , Promote the implementation and transformation of various innovative achievements. The second is to adhere to green development and digital transformation, and transform and upgrade traditional advantageous industries. Pay close attention to the technological transformation and product iterative upgrading of metal processing, green building materials, food and beverage and other industries, seize new tracks such as laser manufacturing, micro-nano manufacturing, additive manufacturing, lightweight materials, new building materials, etc., and promote the agglomeration of the food and beverage prepared dish industry to develop in an all-round way and open up channels for the industrialization and branding of “local specialties”. The third is to continue to cultivate and expand emerging industries and create a new development pattern of “two new and one electricity”. Accelerate the construction of Xpeng Motors’ new model projects, promote the construction of Zhaoqing Dawang Intelligent Connected New Energy Vehicle Industrial Park and Zhaoqing (Gaoyao) Auto Parts Industrial Park, and promote the “trinity” of complete vehicles, parts and aftermarkets. Focus on electrochemical energy storage, deepen strategic cooperation with CATL, Shenzhen Energy, etc., fully promote the construction of projects such as Ruiqing Times, GCL, Putilai, Jinsheng, etc., and strive to reach a new level in the new energy storage industry this year. Last year, we completed and launched the province’s first commercially operated grid-side independent energy storage power station — Wanliyang Duanzhou Independent Energy Storage Power Station, opening the door for capital operation of independent energy storage power stations. Make the electronic information industry bigger and stronger, relying on platforms such as Zhaoqing New District Electronic Information Industrial Park and Zhaoqing (Sihui) Electronic Information Industrial Park, focusing on the development of electronic components, new displays, automotive electronics, consumer electronics and other industries, and accelerating the second phase of Guanxu , Xizhen Phase II, Virginie and other projects are under construction to create an electronic information industry cluster worth over 50 billion yuan. The fourth is to lay out and build future industries and open up new space for the manufacturing industry. We will make forward-looking plans and explore appropriate entry into future industries such as hydrogen energy, low-altitude economy, robotics, and artificial intelligence, and use demonstration applications to drive the initial development of the industry.
On the other hand, we will accelerate the promotion of green development. Green development is an intrinsic requirement for accelerating the cultivation of new productive forces. In recent years, we have accelerated the adjustment of industry, energy and other structures. Last year, Zhaoqing High-tech Zone became one of the first 10 carbon peak pilot parks in the country, and Ruiqing Times ranked among the “zero-carbon factories”. Next, we will aim to build a low-carbon city, steadily promote “dual carbon” work, actively build a number of “green low-carbon factories”, and fully promote the green transformation and development of industries. We will build high-quality green energy bases, solidly advance projects such as pumped hydro energy storage, integrated wind and solar energy storage, and distributed photovoltaics, and promote the deep integration of green power resources and manufacturing. Accelerate green technological innovation and the promotion and application of advanced green technologies, accelerate the green transformation of building materials, hardware, papermaking and other industries, and strengthen energy-saving and environmental protection equipment.