City Snapshot - Ningbo

Population: 5.5 million

Nearest Ports: Beilun Port is Ningbo’s deep water port and a major competitor with Shanghai

International Airport: Yes - Singapore, Seoul and Bangkok

2007 GDP: US$49.0 billion

Notable Foreign Investors: Sanyo, Esso, Samsung, BP, Samsonite, Dupont

Description: Ningbo, in East China’s Zhejiang province, has the same authority as provincial governments for economic administration and was one of the first major east coast cities to open to foreign trade. By 2010 the government wants the city to be “an important industrial city, a major base of heavy chemical industry, a principal foreign trading port in East China and the economic centre of Zhejiang province.” Ningbo boasts many advantages particularly due to its geographical location with Beilun Port, the excellent deepwater port inside its boundary, and services many container breakdown and industrial processing plants.

Weather: Winters cool, +5 low, Summers warm, +30 high

Fast Facts

1. Beilun Port in Ningbo is the largest general cargo port by tonnage and third largest by throughput in China (2010).
2. The 36 kilometer long Hangzhou Bay Bridge is the longest sea crossing in the world.
3. The 2.3 square kilometers Ningbo Free Trade Zone is the only free trade zone in Zhejiang Province.

The 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2016) of Zhejiang province defines Ningbo as the “economic center of the South Yangtze River Delta.” Government goals in this plan for the city include transforming it into a major base for advanced manufacturing, modern logistics, energy and raw material and a center for shipping finance. The latter goal is based on Ningbo’s excellent natural deepwater port, unique among nearby cities.

Infrastructure
Ningbo is only 150 kilometers south of Shanghai, separated by Hangzhou Bay. The city is still taking advantage of the newly opened Hangzhou Bay Bridge, which was completed in 2007 and provides a convenient route directly to Shanghai.

Road
The Hangzhou Bay Bridge stretches across Hangzhou Bay to Shanghai, with a driving time of two hours. Xihoumen Bridge, the second longest suspension bridge in the world (after the Pearl Bridge in Japan), links Jintang and Cezi islands, allowing the passage of 30,000 ton ships. Mingzhou Bridge, a component of Ningbo Eastern Outer Ring Road, began operation in May 2011, completing Ningbo’s “Five Roads and Four Bridges” project included in its 11th Five Year Plan.

The government of Ningbo aims to complete the construction of the airport expressway by the end of 2011, connecting Ningbo’s city center to the airport in 15 minutes.

Railways
Ningbo is three to four hours from Shanghai by rail, with close connections to major cities in China. There are two stations: South Railway Station and East Railway Station.

Air
Lishe Airport operates more than 40 domestic routes as well as international flights to foreign capitals like Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul.

Ports and waterways
The Port of Ningbo is conveniently located in the Yangtze River Delta, well-connected with Hangzhou Bay Bridge and Zhousan-Ningbo Bridge. There are 315 berths scattered along its 50 kilometers. The Port of Ningbo has the largest number of deepwater berths in China, which can accommodate 300,000 DWT vessels. It receives the most 100,000 DWT vessels annually of any port in China. The Port is comprised of six areas: Yongjiang, Zhenhai, Beilun, Daxie, Chuanshan and Meishan. In 2010, Ningbo port saw its cargo throughput jump more than 30 percent from 2006 to reach over 13 million TEUs.
The Port of Ningbo is the major transfer and storage base for containers, iron ore, crude oil and liquid chemicals of China and transfer base of coal, grains and bulk cargo in eastern China. It is the largest general cargo port in China (2010). The five pillar industries in the port industrial region located in the hinterland of Beilun Port are petro-chemical, energy, iron and steel, paper making and ship building. Its total production accounts for more than 25 percent of Ningbo’s total industrial output.

City infrastructure
The urban rail transit project, which received an investment of RMB5.34 billion as of May 2011, is currently undergoing construction. The first and second phase of line 1 will begin operation by 2015.
Ningbo aims to implement smart information technologies in city management over the next ten years, investing RMB500 million towards intelligent application systems, industrial bases and infrastructure.

Economy and investment climate
In 2010, Ningbo’s GDP reached RMB512.58 billion, up 12.4 percent year-on-year with per capita GDP reaching RMB68,162. The fixed asset investment recorded RMB220.65 billion, up 10.1 percent from the previous year. In 2010, the number of foreign funded enterprises rose 39.8 percent to a total of 13,336. Of these, 383 enterprises had an investment amount of US$4 billion, a 221.4 percent increase year-on-year. 
Ningbo is an important industrial base for a wide variety of industries, both light and heavy. In terms of heavy industry, Ningbo is a major player in petroleum and energy generation/ transmission. Ningbo has 12 million tons of crude oil refining capacity and is the largest injection molding machine production base in China (with around 50 enterprises accounting for 50 percent of the country’s annual production).

In the light industry sector, Ningbo is a leading garment manufacturing city, making 12 percent of the country’s total production, and 1.4 billion suits annually. The electronics industry is also booming, with more than 2,000 such companies registered in Ningbo. The city is one of the three major home electric appliance production bases in China, accounting for 30 percent of this industry’s national turnover. Ningbo’s software industry has also been growing at a fast pace in recent years, with an average annual growth rate of 40 percent, ranking first in China between 2007 and 2010.

Resources
Government Organizations
Ningbo Government Website: http://english.ningbo.gov.cn/