Qianhai pioneer of new reform and opening up

The Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone has become a propeller of Shenzhen's development more than 30 years after the Reform and Opening up began.

CRI's Fu Yu with more on how Qianhai has been developing since the 18th CPC National Congress five years ago.

On his first trip outside Beijing after becoming general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in late 2012, Xi Jinping chose Shenzhen as the first stop of his inpection tour.

Zheng Hongjie, who served as chief of the Qianhai Management Bureau back then, recalls when Xi Jinping visited the area.

"The General Secretary said he expected a world of differences from here, and hoped that good results would come out of these shoals. He also told us not to rush things at the moment and asked us to pay attention to details in the pursuit of sound development. He said we were the pioneers," said Zheng.

Qianhai is home to three major development plans: the Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation zone, the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, and it has also been joined by the Shekou Industrial Zone to form part of the Guangdong pilot free trade zone.

Tian Fu, director of the Qianhai-Shekou management committee, says major breakthroughs have been achieved in the area in the past 5 years.

"Qianhai has been committed to easier investment and trade, financial innovation, service supervision, legal environment and institutional innovation. We have come up with 284 institutional innovations, 110 of which are firsts in China. They have been applied at municipal, provincial and national levels. It is a manifesto of Qianhai's responsibilities in China's national strategy," said Fu.

Statics show the number of companies operating in Qianhai has grown from 300 in 2012 to over 40-thousand by the end of last year.

Total foreign investment has reached 3.8 billion US dollars.

Tian Fu says they believe Qianhai has the potential to offer more support to the Chinese government's future plans.

"At the General Secretary's request of 'a new appearance every year,' our economic gross will exceed 200 billion yuan this year. That is 10 billion per square kilometer. We will have met the goals 3 years earlier than expected. Qianhai will continue to serve as propellant in China's future development plans, especially in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Big Bay Area," said Tian.

The term "Qianhai spirit" has now replaced "Shekou spirit" which was first coined 30 years ago, and is said to be the new symbol of China's Reform and Opening up.

For CRI, this is Fu Yu.