Jiangmen： Accelerating the Formation of a New Paradigm Characterized by High-quality Development

  By Chen Haoguang
As an important joint connecting the eastern and western parts of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Jiangmen is just 30 minutes away from Guangzhou, with Jiangmen Railway Station located conveniently in the mid point amidst the "golden triangle" formed by Guangzhou South Railway Station, Foshan West Railway Station and Shenzhen North Railway Station. In Jiangmen today boast a total of 590 kilometers of expressways and 220 kilometers of metro railway. Jiangmen Station, a comprehensive transportation hub in Western Pearl River Delta, has become the fourth largest rail transit hub in Guangdong.
At present, the municipality of Jiangmen is building on six major pillar initiatives, namely "science and technology advancement, industry revitalization, campuses renovation, integration with Hong Kong and Macao, capitalization of the homeland of overseas Chinese, and talent attraction", to systematically pursuing its development goals of regional balanced development, ecological civilization construction, and lawful orders in Jiangmen. All these efforts share one common goal: fostering a new development paradigm characterized by high-quality development. ▲ New look of downtown Jiangmen Photo by Li Jianqun
Be the main force of high-quality development of manufacturing industry in Guangdong Province
Over the past decade, the gross domestic product(GDP) of Jiangmen has almost doubled from RMB 189.298 billion to RMB 360.128 billion in 2021, with steady improvements in its comprehensive strength. In the first half of 2022, Jiangmen's GDP reached RMB 173.752 billion, ranking the second in the Guangdong in terms of growth, and its highest level in nearly a decade.
Such industrial development cannot be separated from the support of the municipality. Geographically characterized by expansive lands, Jiangmen is blessed with unique development advantages. Today, Jiangmen has a large industrial cluster with a total area of 1395 square kilometers, which is the largest industrial cluster in Guangdong with abundant areas for industrial development on a large scale.
Today, there are more than 20,000 industrial enterprises in Jiangmen, among which LY iTECH, Dachangjiang, and Infinitus have surpassed RMB ten billion in revenue, and Fuwa Heavy Industry is recognized as a "National Manufacturing Industrial Single Item Champion Enterprise in China". Jiangmen now has nearly 3000 industrial enterprises above designated size, and more than 2200 high-tech enterprises. Strategic pillar industries in Jiangmen, such as smart home appliances, light industry and textiles, biomedicine and healthcare, modern agriculture and food continues to thrive, and more emerging industries such as high-end equipment manufacturing, intelligent robots, laser additive manufacturing, silicon energy, clean energy batteries, safety, emergency and environmental protection, are accelerating their development. ▲On August 24, 2022, CCPIT Guangdong Council and Jiangmen Municipal Government jointly held a series of activities for the founding ceremony of Guangdong Merchants Alliance of RCEP Member Countries in Jiangmen. Photo by Li Jianqun
In August 2021, the government of Guangdong issued the "Fourteenth Five Year Plan for the High Quality Development of Guangdong's Manufacturing Industry" was issued, making Jiangmen a "core city" of Guangdong's strategic industries. This has pointed out the direction for a new round of high-quality development of manufacturing in Jiangmen. The 14th Party Congress of Jiangmen City clearly proposed to adhere to the principle of "establishing a city through industry and strengthening the city through manufacturing", further promote the "industrial revitalization" project, and be the main force of high-quality development of the manufacturing industry in Guangdong.
This year, the CALB Power Battery and Energy Storage System Base project was officially settled in Jiangmen, with a total investment of RMB 20 billion. This is the largest entity project in terms of investment introduced to Jiangmen in recent years, which marks a new starting point of Jiangmen's journey towards manufacturing industry leadership.
Fostering the process of "industrial revitalization", Jiangmen will "stabilize the basic market", "open up new tracks" and "build up well-balanced portfolio". On the one hand, Jiangmen will secure the development of strategic pillar industries such as smart home appliances, light industry and textile, biomedicine and health care, modern agriculture and food to benefit from the synergy effect of industrial clusters; On the other hand, Jiangmen will play full effort to explore emerging industries such as high-end equipment manufacturing, intelligent robots, laser additive manufacturing, silicon energy, clean energy batteries, safety, emergency and environmental protection, so as to achieve a big leap forward in the industrial landscape in Guangdong. ▲On August 6, 2022, "Rongtong Dawan District, One Heart Towards the Future - Jiangmen Global Investment Conference" was held. Photo by Li Jianqun
Science and technology advancements for the city of the future
Jiangmen Neutrino Laboratory
700 meters underground in Jinji Town, Kaiping, Jiangmen, a series of advanced scientific equipment are being installed in the largest experimental cave in the world so far. The purpose is to capture and measure the "ghost particle" - neutrino.
This is the Jiangmen Neutrino Laboratory, a large scientific facility jointly built by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Guangdong Province. It is expected to become one of the international neutrino research centers after its completion and operation in 2024.
It has been nearly ten years since Jiangmen has been selected for the site of the laboratory. The most difficult part of the project civil works of the project have been completed. Now, the Jiangmen Neutrino Laboratory has completed the installation of the stainless steel main frame of the detector and the plexiglass ball lifting platform. The whole project is scheduled to be completed next year, and Jiangmen will achieve a breakthrough in zero large scientific facilities.
When Jiangmen Neutrino Laboratory is completed and put into operation, it will gather more than 600 scientists and engineers from 78 entities from 18 countries and regions. With this large scientific installation in place, Jiangmen will open up more opportunities in international high-end innovation landscape and attract top level research teams from the globe. ▲Jiangmen Neutrino Laboratory Photo provided by the Publicity Office of Kaiping
Jiangmen "Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality" Laboratory
As a pioneer project in the "science and technology advancement" initiative, Jiangmen municipality and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) jointly built the Jiangmen "Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality" Laboratory at the end of 2021. Targeting cutting-edge research topics such as silicon energy power system, new energy storage technology, ecological carbon sink and carbon resource utilization, carbon capture and storage, "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" policy and solution design, the laboratory aims to become a comprehensive research base and original innovation hub in carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and a national demonstration base for carbon research. It plans to position itself as one of the nine key scientific research institutions in the "1+9+N" system of the International Technology Innovation Centerin Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area .
With the blueprint of the "science and technology advancement" initiative steadily rolled-out. Jiangmen will gather its resources to forge regional technological forces and build a high-level scientific and technological innovation platform. ▲Jiangmen "Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality" Laboratory Photo provided by the Publicity Office of Xinhui
Create an important intersection of "mutual exchange"
By the end of 2021, Jiangmen has a total of 10572 foreign-invested enterprises, including investment projects by world's top 500 enterprises, such as Electricite De France, BP, BASF and ABB. Jiangmen is also selected by well-known international enterprises, including Asia Symbol, Vinda Paper and LEE KUM KEE. In the first half of 2022, 190 foreign direct investment projects were set up in Jiangmen, with a total investment amount of RMB 3.287 billion, a growth of 22.09%. The actual amount of foreign capital attracted was RMB 1.24 billion, bringing new vitality into Jiangmen's development.
Jiangmen adheres to its original aspiration of serving Hong Kong and Macao, actively promote the integration with Hong Kong and Macao, and expands the depth and breadth of cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao. For example, we will accelerate the construction of major transportation projects such as the Shenzhen-Jiangmen Railway, Huangmao Sea Cross-sea Passage, and Shenzhen-Zhongshan Passage; vigorously promote the construction of the characteristic platform of Daguang Bay, and support the green economic cooperation between Xinhui Yinhuwan Binhai New Area and Hong Kong and Macao; providing livelihood conveniences for Hong Kong and Macao citizens working and living in Jiangmen, build advanced youth innovation and entrepreneur base for those from Hong Kong and Macao. All these efforts aim to attract more Hong Kong and Macao citizens to study, work and live in Jiangmen.
The new governing team of Jiangmen proposed to keep in mind the original aspiration of serving Hong Kong and Macao, adhere to giving play to the advantages of overseas Chinese resources, deeply promote the "integration with Hong Kong and Macao" and "capitalization of the homeland of overseas Chinese" initiatives,  actively expand the depth and breadth of cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao, and build a new demonstration zone for win-win economic and cultural cooperations with overseas Chinese, so as to create an important intersection of domestic and international exchange.