Changchun New Area’s overall planning for 2016-30 offers comprehensive and detailed analysis of the area’s leading industries, said Li Guanghui, vice-president at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Commerce.

Li said economic development in Northeast China has slowed in recent years, including in Jilin province, of which Changchun is the capital. He explained that leading industrial systems have not been built, and that economic growth did not have strong support systems.

According to Li, Changchun New Area plans to expand and extend the area’s value chain and promote its core competitiveness globally by fostering several large sectors such as automobiles, high-end equipment manufacturing, optoelectronic information and biological medicine. By doing so, the area’s industries will support wider economic development, Li added.

The plan also proposes opening-up and establishing innovative industrial systems, Li said, adding that undertaking such activity in the new area reflects Jilin’s economic development ambitions. In his eyes, Changchun New Area, as an engine for Jilin’s future development, needs to closely integrate with the wider province and Northeast China.

Bai Xuejie, a professor at the Institute of Economic and Social Development of Nankai University, said that aside from production, national-level new areas gradually improve other city functions as well, such as services and management. She added that the new area aims to integrate local industries and the city, becoming engines of regional economic growth.

Various development zones in China mostly focus on industrial activities, with limited impact on regional economic growth, Bai said.

According to Bai, Changchun New Area takes this into account and pays considerable attention to fostering productive services, such as technology and finance, information services and trade logistics as it establishes openingup and innovative industrial systems.

Liu Binglian, dean at the Institute of Economic and Social Development of Nankai University, said the new area has scientific and reasonable strategies and goals in terms of industrial system design.

According to Liu, choosing the right locations depends on taking many factors to create distinctive industrial clusters.

The development process should consider both national and international economic elements, and balance the external environment with industrial clusters’ internal operations, said Liu.

Innovation-driven development is not limited to high-tech sectors, as traditional industries may also promote entrepreneurship and industrial innovation, he added. Changchun New Area not only supports strategic emerging industries, such as biomedicine and new materials, but also is boosting the competitiveness of some advanced sectors such as automobiles and agricultural product processing.