Zhanjiang eyes development of green industries

According to a government work report delivered by Zhanjiang Mayor Zeng Jinze on Jan 9, the city has set its GDP growth target for 2022 at about 6.5 percent.

Port-related industries, the digital economy, modern services and infrastructure are among the priorities for Zhanjiang this year, according to the report.

The city will support Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron and Steel in getting its hydrogen-based shaft furnace project off the ground. Construction on the BASF integration project and the Lianjiang clean energy project has commenced.

In 2022, the city will step up the development of industrial clusters in five advanced manufacturing sectors, which are green steel, green petrochemicals, high-end papermaking, green energy and new energy vehicles.

On the digital front, Zhanjiang will push forward the construction of the West Guangdong digital valley, a big data industrial park, and create an enabling environment for new industries including the industrial internet and the internet of things.

The city plans to support 70 manufacturing companies in going digital this year, according to the local government.

To boost the modern services sector, Zhanjiang will push forward the construction of tourist attractions such as the Mazhang Mangrove theme park and the Capital of Seafood industrial complex.

Support will also be directed to the modern finance sector, with green finance, digital finance and cross-border finance among the areas highlighted in the city's development plans for 2022.

Construction on a number of port infrastructure projects will kick off in 2022. They include a channel project in the Donghai Island port area and supporting wharves for the BASF integration project.

Zhanjiang made steady progress in the aspects in 2021, when the city's industrial parks generated a combined output value of 220 billion yuan, according to local officials.

In 2021, the first phase of a Zhongke (Guangdong) Refinery and Petrochemical integration project reached its design capacity, and the third blast furnace system at the Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron and Steel went into operation.

Last year, the city saw the addition of 3,627 5G base stations, extending the 5G network to every town in the city.