China's Dongguan Contributes to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with its Manufacturing Developments

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DONGGUAN, China, Dec. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area continues, the southern Chinese city of Dongguan has gained more edges over the upgrading manufacturing. According to the Information Office of the People's Government of Dongguan Municipality, the city recently joined hands with Hong Kong to hold an industrial cooperation promotion conference, attracting more than 800 talents from all social sectors of both sides and saw the signing of 39 projects with a total investment of some 35 billion yuan (USD 5.03 billion).

Historically, Dongguan morphed into a noticeable international manufacturing city from a backward agricultural county thanks to adopting China's reform and opening-up policy and attracting foreign capital. Today's Dongguan has evolved again with a new image to the outside world - an innovation base. For instance, five companies were set up each day in the city last year. And the city is now home to 4,058 high-tech enterprises and 2,400 candidates of this kind, both ranking first among other prefecture-level cities in Guangdong. The value added of advanced manufacturing has accounted for over 50% of that of the entire high-tech sector.

With the new opportunities while constructing the Greater Bay Area, Dongguan has shaped a pattern of a higher level of opening-up that is globalization-oriented, and it continues to contribute to the Greater Bay Area endeavor with high-quality development, and build itself into the center of advanced manufacturing in the region.

It takes less than 40 minutes to travel from West Kowloon, Hong Kong to Humen, Dongguan. As the rail network across the Greater Bay Area is more integrated, traveling among Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Dongguan within one day becomes part of people's daily life.

With the constructing of the road network, Dongguan's role as a pivotal city of the Area becomes more obvious. Increasingly, it has become a place where the half-hour economic circles of both banks of the Pearl River converge. A critical axis and linkage that advances the integrated development of the east and west parts of the Greater Bay Area, is taking shape.

Dongguan, as the innovation corridor's hinterland, is demonstrating its geographical edges, with Guangzhou, where colleges, universities and research institutes gather, on its northwest; and Hong Kong and Shenzhen, where a cluster of high-tech businesses injects fresh impetus for innovation, on its south.

Industry experts believe that with such an advantageous location, Dongguan will draw a growing number of high-tech firms. And the city, a connector of the innovation corridor, is anticipated to become China's Silicon Valley or Intelligent Valley together with Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Other than the improved transport system and manufacturing foundation, a sound innovation ecosystem has strongly impressed leading global innovators. For instance, Huawei, a Chinese tech giant, has based its terminal headquarters in Songshan Lake, Dongguan. And Lens Technology, a Chinese manufacturer of optical lenses, has invested 4.5 billion yuan (USD 649.5 million) in building a plant in the city.

In August, the Spallation Neutron Source in Dongguan, China's first and world's fourth, passed its national acceptance test. That will multiply the city's capacity of pooling talents from across the globe. The Songshan Lake Material Laboratory, which opened this April, has attracted a first batch of ten teams of scientific research and development, including those from Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Harbin Institute of Technology and Peking University.

"Songshan Lake will be home to more world-class scientists in a few years," said Chen Hesheng, academician of CAS and general director of China Spallation Neutron Source project.

"With functional platforms, sufficient capital, favorable policies and a sound environment, Dongguan will become a popular destination for scientific talents. I've developed more interest in this place since the very first day I lived here," said Zhang Shuyan, director of the Songshan Lake-based Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials, who was the youngest chief scientist of the Engineering Laboratory of the UK ISIS Spallation Neutron Source and returned to China in 2016.

"An enhanced supply chain is also essential for the innovation ecosystem. Normally, it takes a week to turn a creative idea into a tangible model. Yet, in Dongguan, it only costs a day," said Zhou Zhentao, founder of Baiao Yade Technology, which manufactures customized machines for patients with respective treatment recommendations in ways to increase doctor's diagnosing accuracy.

A whole host of high-growth technology companies like Baiao has settled in Dongguan and thrived. Thanks to this, the industrial structure of the manufacturing city is becoming more advanced and its economy more open and innovation-driven.

SOURCE The Information Office of the People's Government of Dongguan Municipality