China's Academy of Telecommunication Technology established its western institute in October of last year to provide stronger support for IT industries.

 

In the midst of its expansion project, the Chongqing Economic and Technological Development Zone is trying to restructure its industries, giving priority to advanced manufacturing, high technology and modern services, according to the administrative committee.

Advanced manufacturing includes shipbuilding, ship repairs, numerically controlled machine tools, general machinery, refrigeration equipment, and electrical equipment.

Related companies in the zone include the Shanghai International Port Industry Group, Chongqing Machine Tools Group, Chongqing General Machinery Industry Group, Midea Refrigeration Equipment Co, and Boseng Electronic Co.

In information technology (IT), the development zone is a key R&D, testing and production base for IT equipment in mobile communications, the Internet of thing, and 3G technology, with the support of the western institute of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's academy of telecommunication technologies.

Modern services covers logistics, warehousing, shopping, real estate, and agricultural products.

The zone is also expected to develop into a regional financial hub with emphasis on import and export settlements and e-business.

The administrative committee has predicted a gross domestic product of 100 billion yuan by 2015.

Six areas

Going hand-in-hand with the industrial restructuring process is a re-zoning of the area to split it into six industrial sectors.

The core area, in Chayuan, in the south of the city, will be for research and development. It houses prominent research institutes such as the Academy of Telecommunication Technology' western institute and the Chongqing University of Telecommunications and is in a good position to be an IT base. This would cover mobile communications, the Internet of things, and communication equipment manufacturing.

The Donggang Port area concentrates on logistics, shipbuilding, and port-related industries.

Guangyang Island, known for its pleasant environment, is where residential communities, hotels, and conference, sports and entertainment facilities are located.

The Yinglong area will focus on both the IT and environmental protection business.

The zone's headquarters are expected to be situated on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, to house the head offices of many domestic and multinational companies.