The southwestern city of Guiyang is attracting at least 43.7 billion yuan ($7.14 billion) in investment from Zhongguancun, China's "Silicon Valley", according to the mayor of Guiyang.
More than 50 companies based in Zhongguancun, the hub of the information technology industry in northwestern Beijing, are planning to establish businesses in Guiyang later this year, Li Zaiyong said.
The investments include the IT, biotechnology and electronics manufacturing sectors.
|
 |
|
More than 50 companies based in Beijing's Zhongguancun are planning to establish businesses in Guiyang later this year, the city's mayor said. [Photo/China Daily] |
"Guiyang is expecting the high-tech sector to boost the city's economy, and we welcome IT firms in Beijing who are bringing their technologies to this vibrant city," he said.
City planners said introducing high-tech industry is the best way to power its economy without damaging the local environment.
The forest coverage rate in Guiyang is 43.2 percent, well above the national average. The city of 4 million people is the capital of the less-developed yet fast-growing Guizhou province.
The GDP of Guizhou hit 325 billion yuan in the first half of this year, an increase of 12.5 percent year-on-year, the government said. The increase was the highest in China.
Earlier this year, Guiyang agreed to build an industrial park for Zhongguancun companies. The park will host most of the IT, high-end equipment manufacturing, pharmaceutical and electronics companies in coming years.
"Zhongguancun will help Guiyang build an ecosystem suitable for startup companies and provide support for local companies to set up research and development facilities in Beijing," said Bai Zhiyong, deputy director of the Administrative Committee of the Zhongguancun Science Park.
Longmaster Information and Technology Co - a Guiyang-based Internet enterprise that claims it is ready to challenge Tencent Holdings Ltd's popular instant messaging service WeChat - is one of the first Guizhou companies to move R&D to Beijing.
The company, listed on the growth enterprise board in Shenzhen, has employed about 100 developers in Zhongguancun.
