SHENYANG: Leaders at the Fushun Economic Development Zone in Northeast China's Liaoning Province have vowed to perfect the investment environment to solicit more investors as it faces fierce competition.

"To sharpen our competitive edge, we are sparing no efforts in establishing a favourable environment such as upgrading services for national and international investors," said Gu Fengjie, director of the development zone.

Statistics showed that as of the end of September, funds in actual use in the zone topped US$56.3 million, a rise of 26 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The three pillar industries here - high technology, advanced materials and biotechnology pharmaceuticals - have played a dominant role in enhancing the overall development of the zone, the director said.

To standardize its investment environment in line with international regulations, the Fushun Economic Development Zone applied for International Standard Organization (ISO) 14000 certification in July and became the first provincial-level development zone in China to apply.

One-stop service has been adopted in more than 10 departments including industry and commerce, customs, tax and environmental protection in a bid to improve efficiency.

"We are encouraging the growth of high-tech industries as well as boosting the development of labour-intensive industries," Gu said.

A re-employment base, that focuses on labour-intensive industries was established in the zone, Gu said, which has created more than 20,000 jobs with a capacity to increase to 50,000 in the next five years.

(China Daily)

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