Sino-German Industrial Service Zone

　　1. Basic information

　　Foshan Sino-German Industrial Services Zone (Foshan New City) is located in the south-central part of Foshan, with Guangzhou in the east and Hong Kong and Macao in the south. The construction of Foshan New City started in 2003. It is an important node of coordinated development in the Pearl River Delta Area and it is also the core component of the "strong center" strategy of the Foshan Municipal Party Committee and Foshan Government. In 2011, Foshan proposed the construction of the Sino-German Industrial Services Zone in Foshan New City. In May 2012, the Sino-German Industrial Services Zone was listed as one of the six major cooperation platforms in Guangdong by the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Guangdong Government. In August 2012, as a cooperative project for the future between the two countries, Sino-German Industrial Services Zone is acknowledged in the “Joint Statement on Further Promotion of Two-way Investment” signed by China and Germany, which is a state-level cooperation project. In April 2014, Foshan New City (Sino-German Industrial Services Zone) and Shanghai Lingang became the first batch of Sino-European Urbanization Cooperation Demonstration Zone, exploring new urbanization.

　　2. Development orientation

　　At the end of 2015, Foshan Municipal Party Committee and Foshan Government made further improvements and adjustments to the system of Sino-German Industrial Services Zone (Foshan New City) and made clear that the Sino-German Industrial Services Zone (Foshan New City) is a functional orientation area. Sino-German Industrial Services Zone further strengthens the functions of attracting investment, international exhibition as well as foreign exchange and cooperation, and manages the specific affairs of Sino-German Industrial Service Zone, Sino-European Urbanization Cooperation Demonstration Zone and Guangdong (Tanzhou) International Convention and Exhibition Center etc., leading the development of the whole city's foreign industry.

　　3. Industrial development

　　The Sino-German Industrial Services Zone closely links the industrial development plan of the northern section of Shunde district and the strategic deployment of Shunde to build Foshan National High-tech Industrial Development Zone. It adheres to the guiding principles of "sharing resources, complementing advantages and opened up cooperation", promoting the formation of an industrial development system supported by advanced manufacturing industries (intelligent manufacturing as the orientation), modern service industry (exhibition industry as the core) and strategic new industries (represented by biomedical industry).

　　The Sino-German Industrial Services Zone is committed to building an advanced manufacturing industry based on intelligent manufacturing and strategic emerging industries represented by the bio-pharmaceutical industry. The aim is to promote the joint development between Rhine Industrial Park Robot Production Base and Guangdong Intelligent Demonstration Center and create a complete industrial chain of robot intelligent equipment with distinctive industrial characteristics, enterprise cluster development and a thorough support chain. Around 67 hectares are cultivated for the innovation and transformation bio-industry park in Guangdong Province and to build the international life and health innovation incubator park as well as an international life and health innovation entrepreneurship demonstration park with the Sino-European center as the industry carrier. Foshan Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is introduced in order to build the International Innovation Transformation Bio-industry Incubation Center and a biochemistry experimental platform as well as a research and development platform for instruments and equipment. Furthermore, a high-end team from the Industrial Technology Research Institute of Bio-Pharmaceuticals from Foshan Academy of Sciences will establish a life and health center.

　　On April 25, 2016, the Sino-German Industrial City Alliance was formally established in Hannover, Germany. By October 2018, the alliance members had expanded from 18 when it was founded to 41, including 23 from China and 18 from Germany. The establishment of the Sino-German Industrial City Alliance has opened up a new space for the cooperation between Chinese and German cities, realizing "strong and powerful combination, complementary advantages and mutual benefit" between Chinese and German cities.

　　4. Construction of key platforms

　　(1) Tanzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center: Tanzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center is one of the key construction projects of Shunde to promote the integration strategy of the northern area. It is located between Foshan New City and Beijiao New City, adjacent to Guangzhou South Railway Station Business District with obvious geographic advantages. With Foshan 1. Ringroad Expressway and Foshan Metro Line 3 passing by, the traffic condition is superior. The project of the exhibition center started construction in October 2015, and the first phase of exhibition hall was officially opened on 12th September 2016. The first phase of above-ground construction area covers 98,000 square meters, including 49,000 square meters of indoor net exhibition hall, 10,000 square meters of various comprehensive multi-functional conference facilities, 20,000 square meters of a variety of catering, administrative management, information center, commercial financial services, warehousing and public auxiliary space. The second phase and supporting projects started in January 2017 with a total investment of about 6 billion yuan and is expected to be completed in 2019. Tanzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center hosts the International Fair for Investment and Trade of Advanced Equipment Manufacturing in West Bank of the Pearl River and China (Guangdong) International Internet Plus Exposition as a permanent exhibition hall. It also simultaneously accelerates the introduction of other international exhibitions to become a professional display platform for industrial technology and products and actively strive to permanently set up the China Small and Medium Enterprises Fair in the Convention and Exhibition Center.

　　(2) Sino-European Urbanization Cooperation Demonstration Zone: On May 3rd, 2012, China and the European Union Commission signed the "Sino-European Urbanization Partnership Joint Declaration", marking the formal establishment of a long-term mechanism for urbanization exchanges and cooperation between China and Europe. According to the "Sino-European Urbanization Partnership Joint Declaration", during the main forum of "2014 China Urbanization High-Level International Forum" held on April 20th, 2014, Foshan New City (Sino-German Industrial Services Zone) signed a framework cooperation agreement with Cities and Small Towns Reform and Development Center of the National Development and Reform Commission and European Association of Development Agencies to jointly build a demonstration zone for urbanization cooperation between China and Europe and explore new roads for urbanization. It became the first demonstration zone for urbanization cooperation between China and Europe. Sino-German Industrial Services Zone took the lead in exploring low-carbon ecology, "sponge city", green buildings, smart city, integrated pipe corridor and urban transportation won the highest award of the first "Euro-China Green & Smart City Awards", namely "Euro-China Green and Smart City Excellence Award". Sino-German Industrial Services Zone is committed to introducing European urban standards combined with China's urban standards in the process of promoting urban construction, taking a new urbanization development path of "intensive, intelligent, green and low-carbon" and striving to build an industrial, sapiential, livable, suitable and green ecological city.

　　(3) Sino-European Services Center: Officially opened in 2015, with a total building area of 300,000 square meters. As the top-end Sino-Europe enterprise service platform in Sino-German Industrial Services Zone, Sino-European Services Center has successfully introduced 102 enterprises (17 of which are foreign-funded enterprises) into the market by January 2018, with a cumulative registered capital of 1.855 billion yuan. The enterprises cover areas of intelligent manufacturing, Biomedicine, R&D, Technology and Environmental Services and etc, and it includes a group of famous German (European) Enterprises such as OSRAM Asia Pacific headquarter, Allianz property Insurance Foshan Branch, Steinbeis China Technology Transfer Center, Germany F+U Education Group and KUKA Group from Germany, one of the four largest robot manufacturers in the World and etc., and there are about 681 resident staff. The International Biomedicine Innovation and Transformation Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the South China Institute and the German Research Center of Beijing Foreign Studies University have settled in Sino-European Services Center of Sino-German Industrial Services Zone to explore the Sino-Europe international cooperation in Industry-University-Research. It is developing into an important connection between Chinese and European (Chinese and German) technology and market.

　　(4) Guangdong Intelligent Manufacturing Demonstration Center: Guangdong Intelligent Manufacturing Demonstration Center is located in the Sino-European Services Center of Foshan New City. The first phase of this project is located at Building E and the first and second floors of Building F, which covers an area of about 10,000 square meters. It carries out robotic display, application and training. An exhibition with theme of Robot·Big World, which mainly includes six themes, namely intelligent manufacturing and intelligent factory, industrial robots, Internet + robots, automation and you, domestic robot experience hall and robot classroom, provides information from online to offline, from industry to household, from display and sales to training and education. The demonstration center will base on Foshan's industrial foundation, fully play the role of industrial services, and vigorously promote the innovation and application of robot in the field of production and manufacturing, and create intelligent production and smart life. So far, there are nearly 40 enterprises settled down in the demonstration center for office and exhibition. The exhibitors and brands include Fanuc, one of the four largest robotic families in the world, Efort, the most influential manufacturer of robot body in China, well-known robotic enterprises Jaten, Wenjie, Suilian and Huaheng, Science Robotic, Gathuav, Galaxy, Shunde Robot Association, etc.

　　5. Construction of supporting facilities

　　The Sino-German Industrial Services Zone gathers many municipal public infrastructures and high-end industry carriers, demonstrating the city grade and cultural quality of the zone.

　　In terms of transportation facilities, the region converges 10 lines including Guangzhou Metro Line 7, Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity line, Guangfo Ring Line, Guangfo Jiangmen-Zhuhai Line, Foshan Metro Line 3 etc., which will create the most dense and mature rail transit network in Foshan, seamlessly linking Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou South Railway Station, Foshan West Railway Station and other major transportation hubs. The "six vertical and four horizontal" core road networks allow in- and outbound traffic and the 30-minutes-urban-life-circle covers Shunde, Foshan and Guangzhou core commercial area. At present, a number of rail transit systems are upgraded. The second phase of the Guangfo Metro opened by the end of 2016, and the construction of the Guangfo Ring Line will be accelerated.

　　The region has a number of public facilities including the Century Lotus Sports Center, International Film Studio, Cultural Center, International Sports and Culture Performing Arts Center (arena with NBA Standard), Foshan Women and Children Hospital, Fang Tower (including the Foshan City Urban Planning Exhibition Hall and Foshan Grand Theatre), forming a high-quality and fully-covered public service system. Foshan New City Culture Center Science Museum, Youth Palace, Library, Art Village and Archives Center started operation and are open for the public. Foshan International Sports and Culture Performing Arts Center was put into use in November 2018. Foshan Women and Children Hospital is scheduled to be completed and put into operation in June 2019.

　　In terms of environmental construction, the Waterfront Ecological Landscape Belt, which stretches out over 8 kilometers, will connect the Paper-Cut Gallery, open-air swimming pool, Wetland Park, Dragon Boat Square and the leisure sports facilities. It has become a model of urban ecological construction in the Pearl River Delta. Currently, it is promoting the integrated construction and management of Tanzhou Riverside Landscape Belt which has a total length of 32 kilometers, creating a new landmark in Pearl River Delta Area.