中文

GUANGDONG - Guangzhou (Capital of Guangdong Province): Guangzhou is the economic and cultural center of southern China. The city covers an area of 7434.5 square kilometers, hosting a population of 6.5 million. Guangzhou's total GDP was 9.5 billion yuan in 1999, and the living standards are going up year by year, with the average income of urban workers being 9,829 yuan. Now the city is taking steps to reform its state-owned enterprises and setting up enterprise systems for modern economic activities.

Economic and Financial Development: Guangzhou has opened its city gates to the outside world wider than ever. The city has a network of over 2,500 banks and 55 offices of foreign financial institutions. Eighteen foreign insurance companies have been set up in the city, which form a network that provides financial services to the Pearl River Delta area as well as the other neighbouring regions in southern China. The city's foreign exports have made great efforts to reach 6.5 billion US dollars in 1999.

Agriculture and Industries: The agricultural and high-tech sectors of the city have broken new grounds in attracting foreign investors. The establishment of the Guangzhou Economic and Technology Development Zone and the Guangzhou Boned Area have made new progress. The four state-level development zones expanded to an area totaling 8.5 square kilometers, grossing a total GDP of over 12 billion yuan. Those zones are developing into highly export-oriented production areas with their own unique features.

City Planning and Construction: The city built and reconstructed 152 kilometers of local highways and widened 14 major city roads. The construction of the Liberation Bridge (across Pearl River), the Jiangwan Bridge, the Hedong Bridge, the Tianhe Railway Station, the Tianhe Passengers highway transportation hub, and other key projects were completed with great success. It will greatly relieve the long-standing problems of traffic jams and over-crowding on public transit. The telecommunications field has also achieved rapid development. The capacity of telephone switches exceeded of 2 million sets and the number of digits in a telephone number was increased to 8 digits in order to accommodate the surplus. Guangzhou is truly a fast-paced international metropolitan city.

Other Cities and Special Economic Development Zones: Most big cities in the province are already opened to overseas investments. Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Santou, are the Special Economic Development Zones; Dongguan, Jiangmen, Fushan, Funfu, Zhanjiang, Huizhou, Panyu, and Shunde are also open to foreign investment. All overseas investors are received warmly.