Futian District in Shenzhen, China looking for FDI

Morgan Stanley, Siemens Energy, Starbucks, more than 156 of the Forbes global top 500 companies have invested in this region in China. The region is Futian District in Shenzhen, China.

Located in the central urban area of Shenzhen and with an area of 78.66 km² and a population of about 2.2 million, Futian District is the administrative, cultural, financial, business and international communication center of Shenzhen.

In recent years, Futian District has consistently ranked at the forefront of China’s districts and counties. By 2022, the regional GDP has exceeded 550 billion RMB. It will highlight the “three major industries” of science and technology, finance, and fashion, aiming at the “three major positions” of the Central Innovation District, the Central Business District, and the Central Dynamic District, striving to become one of the urban districts with a GDP of 600 billion RMB.

Futian District focuses on the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries. It has successfully built four clusters at a level of 50 billion RMB, such as digital creativity, new energy, software and information services, and intelligent terminals; several clusters at a level of 10 billion RMB, such as modern fashion, semiconductors and integrated circuits, biomedicine among others.

In August 2023, the State Council of China issued the Development Plan for the Shenzhen Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, which tailored a national strategic blueprint for the cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong upon scientific and technological innovation, clarifying the policies of the 15% personal income tax as well as corporate income tax taxation for specific enterprises and individuals, and “highly convenient entry and exit” for personnel and goods. At present, the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone in Futian District has promoted more than 150 high-end scientific research projects and gathered more than 3,000 scientific researchers to further promote scientific and technological innovation cooperation. The development potential of this region in the future is immeasurable.

Innovative Futian District with entrepreneurial blessing. With the best resources, most facilitating policies, and optimal opportunities, Futian District will serve the vast number of enterprises, making endeavors in Futian so as to receive great harvest.

Contact: Wang Huang

Tel: 0086755-88910632

Email: ftinvest@szft.gov.cn

Empowering South Africa with Clean Energy

Within just two years, the largest clean energy power plant of South Africa has emerged out of nothing on the vast wilderness in Northern Cape. It is the 100MW Redstone concentrated solar thermal power plant constructed by POWERCHINA in South Africa, a country thousands of miles away from China.

Though miles apart, the people of China and South Africa enjoy a long-standing friendship. Thanks to Belt and Road cooperation projects such as the Redstone power plant, the two sides have deepened mutual understanding and come closer to each other through enhanced exchanges.

Relieving Power Shortage

In recent years, South Africa’s economic development has been constrained by insufficient energy supply. Power shortage has not only slowed down economic growth, but also caused the inconvenience of people’s daily life in the country.

In fact, South Africa is one of the countries most suitable for developing concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) projects in the world. Leveraging this advantage, SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd. under POWERCHINA constructed the Redstone CSP project in South Africa, the largest renewable energy investment project in the country. It is estimated that the project will generate about 480GWh of electricity for the country’s grid each year after it is put into operation, meeting the power demand of 200,000 local households at peak time and substantially boosting trade, investment and economic development of South Africa.

On October 20, 2022, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the construction site of the Redstone 100MW CSP project. He spoke highly of the project’s engineering quality, and expected the power project to begin operation as scheduled and further enhance friendship and mutual trust between China and South Africa.

Stimulating Local Development

John is an electric engineer at POWERCHINA’s Redstone project. Before joining the project, he was an electric technician in a small local company, and made a living on odd jobs. Since he began to work for the Redstone project, John has participated in vocational trainings on circuit analysis, circuit theory, electronic technology, and others. Soon, he grew from a grassroots technician into an indispensible electric engineer. With the increase of his income, his family’s living standards have greatly improved.

At present, there are nearly 1,000 local employees like John working with the Redstone project of POWERCHINA, which has created a large number of job opportunities for locals.

POWERCHINA actively implements a strategy of localization. Grounded on local resources in South Africa, it gives priority to local enterprises in terms of procurement and outsourcing. To date, the corporation has established partnerships with 50 sub-contractors in South Africa, forming a new industrial cluster in the locale.

Teaching Locals “How to Fish”

A Chinese proverb goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; Teach a man how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” To enhance local employees’ vocational skills, POWERCHINA’s Redstone project set up a welder training base. In the future, POWERCHINA will join hands with local universities to launch the “Power Plant Lecture” program, with an aim to cultivate new energy talent for South Africa’s power development.

Moreover, POWERCHINA takes an active part in the development of local communities, and always offers a helping hand to those in need in the time of crisis. One time, the head of the project received a phone call from a local community: a fire broke out in their pasture, and they needed emergency assistance. The project head immediately mobilized all resources available, and sent two spraying vehicles carrying sufficient bottled water and bread to the spot to carry out disaster relief. Eventually, the crisis was solved through joint efforts. Some local residents gave warm hugs to Chinese employees contributing to the relief effort to express their gratitude.

With the deepening friendship between the two sides, local residents aspire to an early opening of this new energy power plant. They are clearly aware that the project will provide adequate clean energy for local communities, enabling them to reduce reliance on fossil fuel while profoundly changing their lives and creating a better and more sustainable development space for future generations.

Contact: Huang Xuelai

Tel: 008610-68996961

E-mail: huangxl@cnmatters.com

China Matters’ Feature: Hangzhou City Tour Guide for the Asian Games

During the 19th Asian Games, the charming city of Hangzhou once again gained widespread attention both domestically and internationally. During the Hangzhou Asian Games, 6 short video bloggers from the United States, France, Venezuela, and Slovakia embarked on their long-anticipated journeys, sharing stories of what they witnessed in Hangzhou during the Asian Games.The bloggers first visited China’s first lake-themed museum—the West Lake Museum, where they learned about the past and present of the Lake. Subsequently, blogger Jack went to the Liangzhu Museum to uncover the story behind the Asian Games’ mascot “Cong Cong”; Raz Galor visited the site of the Southern Song Dynasty Deshou Palace Ruins Museum and experienced being a tour guide for a day; Rafael Saavedra went to the China Cartoon and Animation Museum to understand why animation is so beloved by the younger generation; Ma Jia went to Qingshan Lake, relishing the leisure of boating amidst the trees; Li Ge went to the Asian Games skateboarding competition to cheer for the athletes; while Lila donned a cheongsam to take photos at museums and ancient villages.

Contact: Li Dixuan

Tel:008610-68996991

E-mail: lidx@cnmatters.com

Surrounded by sea on three sides, Xiangshan, by a glance, is just a small city in Zhejiang Province. In fact, it is home to some of the world’s top sailing enthusiasts, and almost every Xiangshan native is fond of sailing.

Here, sailing is not only a sport for athletes, but also a mass event. With the Asian Games underway, Xiangshan is trying every efforts to hold this great event successfully. Ying Haisong and his wife are among the people in Xiangshan who are sparing no effort to pursue their dream in the Asian Games: to promote sailing into thousands of households.

Ying Haisong, a native of Xiangshan, always considers himself as a man of the sea. Once an award-winning athlete of sailing, Ying is now a staff member of the Asian Games. China Matters explores the story of Ying Haisong about how he was engaged in sailing, led the team to win the gold medal for Xiangshan and now is preparing for the Asian Games. Our lens is also focused on Ying Haisong’s efforts with his wife Lin Feifei to train students so as to introduce sailing to the mass, especially children.

How does Ying Haisong see his hometown, Xiangshan and the on-going Asian Games? What is his expectation to the City of Sailing, and what can we, the audience, expect from Xiangshan?

Contact: Shao Dantong

Tel：008610-68996996

E-mail：shdt@cnmatters.com

On the evening of September 23, local time in the United States, the Chinese heroine Hua Mulan made a stunning appearance in the lyrical melody at the Wang Theater at the Boch Center in Boston, the United States. The “dance drama” has produced not only a classic legend, bus also a new environment of cultural exchanges. It was applauded once every 10 minutes on average! This was the premiere of the Chinese dance drama “MULAN” in the United States, where many overseas audiences were enchanted. More than 50 actors and actresses conveyed the unique oriental charm to the audience with their majestic and magnificent dancing performance. When the ensemble answering the curtain call, applause and cheers lasted for a full 15 minutes, which was enough to express the enthusiasm and love of more than 1,600 spectators for Chinese art.

Huang Ping, Chinese Consul General in New York, Shang Jiyuan, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in New York, Michael Thomas, President of the New England Commission of Higher Education in the United States, Tweed Roosevelt, Chairman of the Theodore Roosevelt Institute of Long Island University, and other guests came to see the performance and gave high praise.

Huang Ping said, “This is not only a performance, but also a bridge that communicates the hearts and minds of the people of China and the United States and promotes bilateral exchanges.” Tweed Roosevelt from the Roosevelt family praised highly: “This is a great show!”

Mulan is an international acclaimed IP of Chinese culture. The American audience is already familiar with the character of Mulan. Back in 1998, Disney has filmed the animated film Mulan. In 2020, the Disney has released its real-life version of the film Mulan worldwide.

Behind the dance drama “MULAN” was China’s leading creative team. It was jointly produced by the Ningbo Performance & Arts Group Co., Ltd., the China National Opera House and the Huangpi District Government in Wuhan and has won China’s most prestigious award of the Chinese dance art China Dance Lotus Award. The drama premiered at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in 2017, and has been staged in nearly 100 performances across China since then. It will be staged in Boston and Washington for six consecutive performances this time. “Although factors such as jet lag need to be overcome, the artists are excited. The enthusiasm of the American audience is quite out of my expectation.” Hao Ruoqi, the actress of Mulan, commented.

Rick and his wife from Boston came to the show and praised with admiration, “The dancers are very professional! Their costumes and stage design also have Chinese characteristics.” Another spectator, Steve, commented: “The part of the performance that Mulan embarking on a heroic journey to the battlefield was very exciting and worthy of recommendation. The dance drama has expressed the yearning for peace, which is the common pursuit of mankind.”

It is worth mentioning that the “circular turntable” with a diameter of 15 meters and a weight of 7 tons on the stage has demolished the limitations of time and space and created more scenes for a single stage. “I have been to China. Chinese history and culture are profound. Mulan in my impression is very traditional. I didn’t expect the stage of this dance drama to be so modern like this!” Michael Thomas told reporters.

Lin Hong, chairwoman of Ningbo Performance & Arts Group Co., Ltd., said: “Ningbo is located next to Shanghai and is an important port city in China. It has been delivering excellent performances in the recent years. I hope that this performance will play a positive role in the exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations between China and the United States.”

Manuscript contact: Li Xiaohang

Contact: 0086-13857875695

Contact email: 406555375@qq.com

A business forum on China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Kazakhstan on September 7.

Yu Xiantao, economic and commercial counsellor of Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan, attended the forum and expressed his willingness to further encourage Kazakhstan companies to participate in the CIIE and showcase their high-quality products.

Yu added that he is looking forward to seeing more Kazakhstan companies and agencies join the 6th CIIE, which will take place from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai.

Five years on, the CIIE has been a witness to closer China-Kazakhstan cooperation.

According to a representative of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), which is the venue for the CIIE, Kazakhstan has always been a significant participant of the CIIE. Over the past five editions, hundreds of Kazakhstan enterprises participated in the Business Exhibition and occupied a combined exhibition area of 2,000 square meters.

President Tokayev of Kazakhstan even once described the CIIE as a “golden gate” for global commodities to enter the Chinese market.

Many Kazakh companies have achieved commercial success at the expo, with the intended turnover generated by these companies over the years totaling $430 million. Several of Kazakhstan’s renowned goods like candies and dairy products have also become well-known to Chinese consumers thanks to the CIIE.

Egemberdieva Asel Yerikovna, deputy CEO of QazTrade, said during the forum that Kazakhstan is upbeat about its economic and trade cooperation with China as bilateral trade between the two rose 34 percent year-on-year to $24.1 billion in 2022.

Speaking of QazTrade’s preparations for this year’s expo, Egemberdieva said that the organization will once again help more Kazakh enterprises enter the Chinese market and make their products known to the world.

During the forum, a CIIE delegation updated the audience about the preparations for this year’s event. According to the delegation, over 360,000 square meters of exhibition area has already been booked by more than 2,000 enterprises. The number of Fortune 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises taking part this year is also more than that of the last edition.

Notably, the physical Country Exhibition will make its return this year.

In addition, the World Openness Report 2023 will also be released at the 6th Hongqiao International Economic Forum, a key component of the CIIE.

For more information, please visit our official website https://www.ciie.org/zbh/en/ or follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok!

Yantai is always known for its beautiful coastline and appealing islands. Embracing both modern and traditional cultures, the coastal city awaits

In Suochengli, a 600-year-old neighborhood in Yantai, a museam of paper-cutting displays a vibrant piece of Yantai’s traditional culture. China Matters’s Jack learns the basic techniques of paper-cutting, and gains an understanding of the history and culture behind this traditional art.

China Matter’s another host, Evy gets a taste of Yantai’s cuisine culture by making her very own personalized wine mix in China’s top wine producer, Changyu, and learning from a local award-winning chef of Shandong cuisine.

The dish she learns is a new-style Shandong dish – chrysanthemum-shaped abalone in spinach and clam soup which, in Evy’s eyes demonstrates the innovation of Shandong cuisine and Yantai people’s open way of life.

How do Jack’s papercut and Evy’s Shandong dish end up, and what else do they experience in Yantai city? Check out the video and see what interesting experience is presented in the video.

Contact: Li Siwei

Tel:008610-68996566

E-mail: lisiwei5125@gmail.com

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/T51SK41aKuw

China Matters’ Feature on the beautiful Coast of Yanta

In Yantai, one of the most popular coastal cities for tourists, new discoveries happen at sea. Islands dot the coast, waiting for tourists to explore the fancy of the sea.
Some islands boast their pristine natural beauty, allowing visitors to experience fishermen’s life, while others provide visitors with brand-new experience of “marine vacation”.
Evy from China Matters heads to Changdao Island in Yantai to experience Ganhai, or coastal foraging seafood on the beach, a popular activity for tourists on the island. She gathers a bucket of seafood on the beach. In Yangma Island, another popular destination in Yantai, China Matters’ Jack is exploring breathtaking natural beauty on bike. He experiences an exceptional island vacation and makes himself a Yantai passport as a travel log.
Another option for tourists is Genghai No.1, a hotel and entertainment complex. At this ocean ranch, Jack fishes for the first time on the sea. Within just one day, he takes a virtual deep-sea ride with smart technology and tastes the fish he caught for dinner.
Yantai has been dedicated to entertain tourists with various ways for marine attractions. What other surprises of the coastal city are awaiting us to discover? Check out the video and find the answer.

Contact: Li Siwei
Tel:008610-68996566
E-mail: lisiwei5125@gmail.com