written by Li Shiwei / translated by Gao Qianqian

“Service Outsourcing“ Helps Zhejiang Entrepreneurs Create an Investment Rush in the Beibu Gulf

written by Li Shiwei / translated by Gao Qianqian

Ever since the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone was made a national strategy, it has witnessed rapid economic development as its strategic position is becoming increasingly important. Nanning, Beihai, Qinzhou and Fangchenggang, the four key cities in this region, have done well in building industrial parks and economic zones, as well as in attracting investment. As the statistic shows, the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone has already attracted numerous world top 500 enterprises, large transnational corporations, state-owned enterprises, and private enterprises, receiving a total investment of 470 billion yuan.

“The six cities (namely Nanning, Beihai, Qinzhou, Fangchenggang, Yulin and Chongzuo) in the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone have done well in attracting investment. They have formed their own ways and got good results”, said Li Yanqiang, deputy executive director of Beibu Gulf Economic Zone & Cooperation with ASEAN Office of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. But he also added,“As regional integration speeds up, it is not easy for the economic zone as a whole to better attract resources under the traditional investment promotion mode”.

On the one hand, the traditional investment promotion mode is neither well-positioned nor practical, thus not appealing to the investors. On the other hand, the traditional mode does not provide enough opportunities for the two parties to know each other, causing breach of contract. In addition, the uncoordinated inner management, as well as the incomplete industrial structures and infrastructure in the economic zone, has put it in a predicament of “hard to bring in and retain”.

Therefore, the question of how to make use of the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone as a high-level platform to attract more investors and retain them has become an issue to be considered.

The Service Outsourcing Mode Displays Remarkable Advantages

“The cooperation with Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) has shown us a new investment promotion mode, i.e., service outsourcing mode”. As Wang Xiongchang introduced, in the cooperation with HKTDC in navigation and logistics, the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone has made full use of Hong Kong’s global resources and found cooperative partners for projects in the region.

On December 26, 2014, the 2014 (7th) Zhejiang Entrepreneurs Annual Meeting & CAFTA (Beibu Gulf) InvestmentOpportunity Forum, co-sponsored by Beibu Gulf Economic Zone & Cooperation with ASEAN Office of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the National Council for Zhejiang Entrepreneurs, was themed on “Overall Arrangement: CAFTA Development under the Maritime Silk Road Strategy” and held in Hangzhou, China. It has attracted numerous Zhejiang entrepreneurs by adopting the new investment promotion mode.

The service outsourcing mode has relatively strict requirements. By attending those meetings, entrepreneurs get to know what projects suit them. So, it proves to be a good attempt to work with the National Council for Zhejiang Entrepreneurs and take the opportunity of 2014 Zhejiang Entrepreneurs Annual Meeting to introduce the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone to Zhejiang entrepreneurs.

Compared with the traditional investment mode, the service outsourcing mode has three strong points. First, entrepreneurs have stronger intentions for cooperation. Second, since few of them have ever invested in the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, they show more interest in investing. So, the chances of project matching increase. Third, such a mode does not apply to a single industrial park or city, but suits the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone & Cooperation with ASEAN Office of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which could bring more opportunities for industrial parks within a larger scope.

Zhejiang entrepreneurs who had attended this meeting all claim that this innovative mode enables them to have a deep understanding on each other and find the right projects. Jin Weihai, president of JTYG Investment Group, who had also attended the promotion meeting, compared the cooperation to “catching each other’s eyes”.

“Investing is like dating. Our Zhejiang entrepreneurs get a nerve, but we are also afraid of being refused as an unwelcome guest if we did not come at the right time or did the wrong thing for lack of understanding”, said Jin Weihai,“This time, the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone sent a delegation to the Zhejiang Entrepreneur Annual Meeting. It’s like a man takes the initiative to ask for a dating. So, we caught each other’s eyes and there come the opportunities for cooperation and meeting each other’s wants”.

Innovative Mode to Bring an Upsurge in Investment

With regard to the investment prospect in the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, Mr. Li Yanqiang, deputy executive director of Beibu Gulf Economic Zone & Cooperation with ASEAN Office of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, claimed that the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone is the frontier which connects China and the ASEAN countries by land and sea, as well as the new gateway and hub of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Besides, there are platforms like China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park, Qinzhou Free Trade Port Area and Pingxiang Integrated Free Trade Zone. If Zhejiang entrepreneurs want to seek new business opportunities and investment projects in the “New Normal”of economy, they could go to the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone.

The following 5 to 10 years is the golden period for investing in the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone. As mentioned in the“Decisions on Several Issues Concerning Deepening the Reform in the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone” unveiled by the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone should focus on urban integration, quickening industrial agglomeration, improving port and connectivity infrastructure, accelerating modern service industry, propelling the fusion of modernization and marketization, and deepening reform and opening-up. By 2020, the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone is expected to realize a gross regional production of 1,800 billion yuan, accounting for 45% of that of Guangxi, with fiscal revenue amounting to 270 billion yuan, contributing 50% of Guangxi’s total revenue. It also aims at building a well-off society by the same time with the whole nation, making itself a new strategic pivot in Southwest and South Central China.

The Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, as one of the most potential and competitive regions in China, signed officially the strategic cooperation framework with the National Council for Zhejiang Entrepreneurs after a series of wide contacts and negotiations. The “romantic encounter” of the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone and Zhejiang entrepreneurs is likely to bring about an upsurge in investment in the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone.

The new investment promotion mode will not only bring about Zhejiang entrepreneurs, but also provide cooperation opportunities in industry, port, shipping, finance, urbanization and science & technology innovation, attracting investors from the whole country and around the world.