By Wang Shen
Hainan Province will establish the Haikou Jiangdong New District as a benchmark area to promote the development of a China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency on June 4.
The Haikou Jiangdong New District is located at the east coast of Haikou, the capital of Hainan Province, with an area of about 298 square kilometers. It is divided into two parts: the eastern side is devoted to an ecological zone with an area of 106 square kilometers, and the western side is for an industrial zone with an area of 192 square kilometers.
Fu Xuanchao, the director of the Hainan Provincial Development and Reform Commission, said that the reason for choosing Jiangdong as the new district is due to its unique geographical advantages, excellent ecological environment, and late-mover advantage. Jiangdong has a low level of land utilization, which means that it has sufficient land reserve and space for development.
Hainan Province will take measures to make the new district a pilot zone of comprehensively deepening reforms and opening-up initiatives, a display of a national ecological civilization, a center for international tourism and consumption, and a security zone that offers support and services for essential Chinese strategies.
Jiangdong will accelerate the reforms for quality, efficiency, productivity, and the economic momentum, and concentrate on exhibiting the construction of a China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone.
Hainan Province plans to help the new district build its image in two years, become functional in three years and become fully operational in seven years. It will speed up the construction of Jiangdong and turn it into a world-class city with zero carbon emissions and manifest the Chinese culture as well as Hainan's characteristics.
Currently, Hainan is trying to innovate the development of the new district, the allocation of resources, the systems for investments and raising funds, and social governance. At the same time, it is focusing on promoting land expropriation in rural areas and improving its level of internationalization, marketization, and legislation.
Hainan Province will invite superior urban planning companies from around the world to engage in the construction of the Jiangdong New District.
