Lanzhou New Area
Lanzhou New Area (兰州新区), covering a planned area of about 821 square kilometers, is the fifth state-level new area located to the north of Lanzhou in Gansu Province. On August 20, 2012, China's State Council approved the Lanzhou New Area and its construction guidelines. Following Pudong in Shanghai Municipality, Binhai in Tianjin Municipality, Liangjiang in Chongqing Municipality and Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province, Lanzhou New Area is the first state-level new area in the northwest of China.
According to the strategic orientation mentioned in the approval, the Lanzhou New Area will be a major pillar of economic growth in northwestern China, a key national industrial base, a significant strategic platform to carry out China's westward opening-up process and a demonstration area for industrial upgrading. The new area will be well placed to connect inland cities and border areas in China with Central Asia to promote the economic development of Gansu Province and neighboring areas.
The General Plan for Lanzhou New Area (2011-2030) was made public during the first press conference held by the Administration Council of Lanzhou New Area on June 22 2011. The plan put forward the new area's development taglines: Strong Industrial City, Ecological Green City, Multiple Lakes City and Modern New City.
According to the plan, the population at the new area is expected to reach 300,000 by 2015, 600,000 by 2020 and 1 million by the year 2030. It aims to achieve a GDP of 50 billion yuan by 2015, 100 billion yuan by 2020 and 270 billion yuan by 2030.
The Lanzhou New Area will be divided into three sections by function and structure: the petrochemical and logistics zone, comprehensive industrial zone and urban services zone. The leading industries will include the high-tech industry, petro-chemicals, equipment manufacturing, biomedicines, electronic information, logistics and modern agriculture.
The Lanzhou New Area is highly competitive for investments as it has rich natural resources, preferential policies, convenient transportation systems, advantageous infrastructure facilities and abundant human resources. There is a convenient transportation system in the area, with 60 airlines in the Zhongchuan Airport connecting Lanzhou with over 40 large and medium-sized cities in China and foreign cities such as Bangkok and Seoul, 9 trunk railway lines and a couple of national highways, provincial roads and expressways.
The urban infrastructure, including roads, water, electricity, gas and heating, have been under construction in the new area, with an accumulative investment of 30 billion yuan. Construction of supporting facilities in the central area is expected to be completed by the end of 2013. Famous groups, such as the Sany Group, China Railway Construction Corporation and Greenland Group, have built workshops in the new area.
