A group of projects have been progressing well in Qilihe district, Lanzhou, in Northwest China's Gansu province, according to an official from the district's bureau of commerce.
According to Gou Yaping, the 25th China Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair in 2019 brought in 14 projects with a total investment of 19.95 billion yuan ($3.08 billion), with 12.08 billion yuan being in place to invest in 11 projects.
A total of seven contracts worth 14.2 billion yuan were inked during last year's event, all of which have started construction. A total of 4.55 billion yuan is in place, accounting for more than 30 percent of the total investment.
The district has taken a group of measures to attract businesses and investors, focusing on industrial transformation and high-quality growth.
The Lanzhou Global Harbor was a key investment project signed at the Lanzhou China Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair in 2019. It will be built into a tourism and cultural complex integrating entertainment, sports, exhibitions, education and shopping.
It has been invested in by Lanzhou LS Group Co., Ltd., Gansu Construction Investment (Holdings) Group Co. and a large furniture maker -- Yuexing Group. With a combined investment worth 10 billion yuan, it will be the first of its kind in Lanzhou.
The shopping mall in Lanzhou Global Harbor will open in October 2024 and the whole project will begin operations by the end of 2026, according to Xu Longlong, Deputy General Manager of the project.
Upon its completion, the project will offer more than 10,000 jobs, he said.
About 7 km away from the Global Harbor, the Wanda Mall project is under way. The construction of the building was finished in December 2020 and the rest of the project will be completed by October this year and start business next year.
The district coordinates with relevant governmental departments and local authorities to offer customized services in administrative approvals and public services. Meanwhile, it also traces the progress of project and helps resolve problems, such as land acquisition and demolition, and funding.
In addition to attracting new projects, Qilihe also spares no effort to further expand the potential of existing investment projects.
The Lanzhou Laojie, which translates as "ancient street", is the epitome of the district's efforts to attract more businesses to its history and tourism complex project.
Since its opening, about 100 businesses have signed to settle in the block, and the street has now become a landmark in downtown Lanzhou.
In order to make the district more livable, Qilihe is working to meet local residents' diverse demands.
The Lanzhou Olympic Sports Center will be built into a leading cultural and sports venue in China within three to five years, according to Zhang Peng, Manager of the project.
It will be the main venue of the 15th provincial sport games and later host international and domestic sports events, such as basketball, volleyball, badminton and table tennis competitions.
Qilihe also monitors closely booming industries such as new energy, modern agriculture, and finance, and makes detailed plans to attract investment in biomedicine, cultural tourism, logistics and data information.
The district has organized for 16 projects, with an overall investment of 14.53 billion yuan, to attend the signing ceremony of this year's Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair.
Moreover, Qilihe is fostering leaders across different industrial chains in order to help improve the industrial competitiveness and optimize the industrial chains.
