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Shunyi Airport Economy Aiming High

Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) is now the world’s fourth largest airport in terms of passenger volume—and Asia’s largest. As with other large airports around the world, a special economy, an airport economy, is growing up around it, but with salient features of its own.

The presence of the BCIA gives rise to numerous opportunities, but courage and foresight are needed to seize upon these opportunities: these qualities abound in northeastern Beijing’s Shunyi District and in its Shunyi New Town, where the creation of the Shunyi Airport Industry Area is opening doors to new business, investment and trade and vital high-tech jobs.

The Shunyi Airport Industry Area has huge advantages. In addition to being located around the BCIA, which is expected to become an international communications hub by 2015, more than 300 aviation enterprise have settled in this area, creating 28.55 billion yuan (US$4.20 billion) in economic value added (EVA) along with other enterprises in the first three quarters of 2009.

In 2005, the State Council approved the Beijing Urban Master Plan 2005–2020 and affirmed that Shunyi District would be one of three key new towns. In 2006, The Key New Town Implementation Plan During the 11th Five-Year Plan Period affirmed that Shunyi New Town would be “one of the key new towns, the capital airport hub facing to the world, airport industry centre and advanced manufacturing industry base.”

Featuring its airport economy, the Shunyi Airport Industry Area is one among six high-end industrial functional areas in Beijing (the other five are the Zhongguancun Science Park, Beijing Financial Street, Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, Beijing Central Business District and the Olympic Green.)

In support of the Shunyi airport economy, several functional zones have been built there: the Beijing Tianzhu Free Trade Zone, Beijing Tianzhu Airport Economic Development Zone, Beijing Linhe Economic Development Zone, Beijing Automobile Production Base, Beijing Airport Logistics Park and Guo Men Business Centre.

But how do these zones contribute to Shunyi’s development?

Beijing Tianzhu Free Trade Zone

In 2009, four free trade zones were approved by China’s central government: the Suzhou Industrial Park Integrated Free Trade Zone in Jiangsu Province, Tianjin Free Trade Zone, Beijing Tianzhu Free Trade Zone and Haikou Integrated Free Trade Zone in Hainan Province. In a free trade zone, some normal trade barriers such as tariffs and quotas are eliminated and governmental requirements are eased to attract new businesses and foreign investment.

The 5.94-square-kilometre Beijing Tianzhu Free Trade Zone, northwest of the BCIA, on July 29, 2009, became an airport-economy-oriented free trade zone.

An export processing area and an airport industrial area, covering 1.2 square kilometres and 1.53 square kilometres, are found in the southern part of this zone. The export processing area has been built on a foundation created by the former Beijing Tianzhu Export Processing Zone, which was set up on April 27, 2000. The zone offers policy previleges to investors such as tax reductions and simplified procedures for customs declarations and entry-exit inspections and quarantines.

Featuring modern logistics, international trade, tax-free processing and trade in services, exports in the first nine months of 2009 in the Beijing Tianzhu Free Trade Zone were valued at US$3.18 billion, a 22.4 percent year-on-year increase; customs tariffs, taxes and levies withheld by the Customs amounted to 599 million yuan (US$88 million), 1.1 times that of 2008; it generated local tax revenues of 7.42 million yuan (US$1.09 million), a 33 percent year-on-year increase.  

Beijing Tianzhu Airport Economic Development Zone

Located about 1 kilometre west of the western airstrip of the BCIA, the Beijing Tianzhu Airport Economic Development Zone was established in January 1994, featuring a headquarters economy, high-tech industries, service businesses and cultural and creative industry.

Its advanced environment, modern infrastructure and factory buildings have attracted more than 300 domestic and foreign enterprises, the latter representing 20 countries and regions. The first segment of this zone covers 4.2 square kilometres; according to the Shunyi Airport Industry Area Committee, every one-hundredth of a square kilometre in this area attracts almost 100 million yuan (US$14.71 million) in investment. In the first nine months of 2009, the total output value of this zone was 24.5 billion yuan (US$ 3.60 billion), generating 2.12 billion yuan (US$312 million) in taxes.

West of this functional zone is the China International Exhibition Centre (New Venue). The construction of the centre began in 2006; the first segment of its construction has been completed and put to use. Held here already were the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, China International Clothing and Accessories Fair and the Seventh China Flower Expo.

Held from September 26 to October 5, 2009, the Seventh China Flower Expo attracted 1.8 million visitors, with tickets costing 60 yuan (US$8.82) per visitor. Exhibitions took place in a 5.4-hectare area, where more than 5 million yuan (US$735,300) was raised with flower sales on the spot.

When it is completed, the China International Exhibition Centre (New Venue) will have a floor space covering 30 hectares, and it will be one of the most advanced and professional exhibition centres in China.

Modern Manufacturing Industrial Bases 

The Beijing Linhe Economic Development Zone (Linhe Zone), Beijing Automobile Production Base, Beijing Aviation Industrial Park of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and Beijing Shougang Cold-Rolled Sheet Steel Company Limited in the Shunyi Airport Industry Area have contributed greatly to the development of Beijing’s manufacturing industry.

The Linhe Zone is one of the three Northern China Microelectronic Industrial Bases (others being the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area and the Shijingshan Science Park). Computer numerical control (CNC) lathes, microelectronics and optical mechanical and electronic integration are leading manufacturing industries in this zone. National Engineering Research Centre on Precision Machining and National Research Centre on Ultra-Precision Machine Tool Engineering are under construction in this area. In 2009, Shunyi District was designated the Beijing CNC Machine Tool Industrial Base. The Linhe Zone is the core of this base, producing 6.2 billion yuan (US$912 million) in output in the first nine months of 2009, while generating 300 million yuan (US$44.12 million) in taxes, a 30 percent year-on-year increase.

West of the Linhe Zone is the Beijing Automotive Production Base. The headquarters of the Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Company Limited, Beijing Automotive Research Institute, National Automobile Quality Supervision and Test Centre will operate from this base. The Second factory and the research and development centre of Beijing Hyundai Motor Company Corporation have been completed and put to use. As the Beijing Hyundai Motor Company Corporation and Beijing Automobile Work are leading the automobile industry in this area, an industrial automotive chain has been created, including production, education and research, sales and after-sales service. From January to September 2009, the production output of the Beijing Automotive Production Base was 34.6 billion yuan (US$ 5.09 billion), a 59.9 percent year-on-year increase, and it generated tax revenues of 3.69 billion yuan (US$ 542.64 million), a year-on-year increase of 87 percent.

The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has invested 16.5 billion yuan (US$2.43 billion) in the Beijing Aviation Industrial Park, which focuses on several key technologies used by AVIC—aircraft engines, aviation compound materials and avionics products. After its completion, it will generate about 100 billion yuan (US$14.71 billion) in annual output value, becoming an important contributor to Beijing’s economy. It will be a leading aviation industrial park in the world.

Southeast of the Beijing Automotive Production Base, the Beijing Shougang Cold-Rolled Sheet Steel Company Limited has been in production since 2008. Featuring environmentally friendly technologies and representing an investment of 6.4 billion yuan (US$ 941 million), the Beijing Shougang Cold-Rolled Sheet Steel Company Limited is estimated, according to the Office of Beijing Airport Industry Area Committee, to have produced 1.5 million tons of cold-rolled sheet steel in 2009.  

Beijing Airport Logistics Park and Guo Men Business Centre

The Beijing Airport Logistics Park is located north of the BCIA. As one of the three logistic bases of Beijing (the other two being the Beijing Tongzhou Logistic Park and the Beijing Fangshan Logistic Park) and a highway-airport-oriented hub for international cargo distribution, the Beijing Airport Logistics Park has attracted more than 450 enterprises including Fortune 500 companies such as TNT Express, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) and Deutsche Lufthansa Aviation Group, renowned aviation and logistic enterprises at home and abroad such as Prologics Incorporated, Kintetsu Worldwide Express and Beijing ZJS Express Corporation Limited. From January to September 2009, the logistic base produced 22.4 percent more year-on-year in taxes: 1.29 billion yuan (US$189 million).

South of the BCIA is the Guo Men Business Centre. Aiming at building a high-level industrial service area and attracting headquarters of aviation enterprises, the Guo Men Business Centre features aviation services, headquarters businesses, hotels and apartments, high-tech industrial and business trade services. There will be built an innovation-oriented airport science and technological park, a science and technology incubator, a fashion creative port, an airport financial port, an international airport conference centre and an airport shopping mall.

In the past five years, the Beijing Airport Industry Area has achieved a more than 20 percent year-on-year increase in terms of economic value added and has generated increases of more than 30 percent year-on-year in taxes, both of which are far above Beijing’s averages. In 2008, 64 key aviation enterprises in this area reported 3.88 billion yuan in taxes (US$571 million), more than one-third of the total tax revenue of Shunyi District. Air China, China Eastern, China Southern and Hainan Airlines Company Limited, and more than 300 other aviation-related enterprises, have come to this area. With further improvement in investment environment infrastructure and public facilities, and clearer focus on high-end aviation related projects, the airport economy in Shunyi District will continue to soar.

顺义临空经济区：特色产业加速集聚临空经济振翅高飞

顺义位于北京东北方向，区域总面积1021平方公里，下辖19个镇、6个街道办事处，常住人口73.6万人，是首都东部发展带的重要节点和北京重点建设的3座新城之一。2006年《北京市国民经济和社会发展第十一个五年规划纲要》将顺义临空经济区（以下简称临空经济区）确定为北京市重点建设的六大高端产业功能区之一。其中，临空经济区核心区规划范围以北京首都国际机场为中心，总占地面积96平方公里（其中包括占地面积27平方公里的北京首都国际机场）。

自2005年以来，临空经济区实现增加值年均增长在20%以上，税收年均增长在30%以上，均远高于北京全市平均水平。2009年1—3季度，临空经济区实现产业增加值285.5亿元，同比增长17.2%，其中，第二产业实现增加值113.4亿元，同比增长37%；第三产业实现增加值172.2亿元，同比增长7%，占总量的2/3。

随着首都临空产业的迅猛发展，临空经济功能区已初具规模，形成了以北京首都国际机场为核心，以天竺综合保税区、天竺空港经济开发区、空港物流基地、汽车生产基地、林河经济开发区、国门商务区6个重点功能组团和天竺镇、后沙峪镇、李桥镇、仁和镇、高丽营镇、南法信镇6个重点镇为依托，航空产业、高新技术产业、现代物流业、现代制造业、会展业为代表的临空产业集群快速发展，并且不断向周边辐射发展，成为拉动首都经济社会发展的重要力量。

随着中国国际航空股份有限公司、中国东方航空公司、中国南方航空公司、中国航空油料集团公司等重点航空企业相继进驻临空经济区，区内航空及相关企业已达到300余家。其中，73家重点航空企业在2009年实现税收28.87亿元。此外，中国航空工业集团公司还将计划投资165亿元建设中航工业北京航空产业园，并同时引进飞机发动机、系统和复合材料三大核心板块。产业园建成后，年产值将达到千亿元。

林河经济开发区、汽车生产基地、中航工业北京航空产业园和首钢冷轧如今已经成为支撑首都现代制造业发展的重要区域。有研硅股、北一数控等国内知名电子技术生产企业相继在林河经济开发区落户，以数控机床、微电子、光机电一体化等为代表的现代制造业成为这里的主导产业。2009年，顺义区被确立为北京数控机床产业基地，林河经济开发区作为基地的研发与制造核心区，承载着北京数控机床产业基地的未来。

以航空物流产业为主导的空港物流基地，如今已有包括荷兰TNT、日本邮船、德国汉莎等在内的9家“世界500强企业”以及美国普洛斯、日本近铁、宅急送等70余家国内外知名航空物流企业入驻，累计入区企业已达450余家，空港物流基地已成为北京市三大物流基地中发展最快、效益最好的物流基地。

以国际航空枢纽为依托的国门商务区，着力打造高端服务产业，以发展航空服务、总部商务、酒店公寓、高新技术、商贸服务5大功能为重点。以会展和商务服务为特色的北京新国际展览中心区域，如今已被确定为以会展为特色的文化创意产业集聚区。

天竺综合保税区和天竺空港经济开发区成为带动临空经济区发展的两大亮点。作为中国建设周期最短、验收通过最早、最先具备封关运营条件的空港型综合保税区，天竺综合保税区将有效带动北京市乃至环渤海地区的发展。2009年1—3季度，区内实现进出口货值31.83亿美元，海关关税及代征税5.99亿元，同比增长1.1倍，实现地方财税收入742万元，同比增长33.1%。天竺空港经济开发区已吸引了来自世界20余个国家和地区的300余家中外企业入驻，每公顷土地吸引投资近亿元，实现产出2.1亿元。

未来的临空经济区将重点打造航空制造产业和航空服务产业集群，加速特色产业集聚，同时不断推进水、电、气、热、路等基础设施和医疗、文化等公共服务设施建设，完善城市功能，使临空经济区逐步成为首都东部最具活力的经济区域之一。