Shenyang in Northeast China's Liaoning province is striving to leverage its advantages to become an active player in promoting high-level opening-up, said Yu Miaojie, president of Liaoning University.
"The Belt and Road Initiative aims to broaden the trade circle until trade is made no longer just in a region but can be made across the globe. While the existing routes have seen fruitful results, there is a need to build land-sea corridors to link up these routes," Yu said.
"As a natural result, the great land-sea corridor in Northeast China is taking shape. As for Shenyang, it is located along the corridor and its opening-up is important to the implementation of the initiative."
Speaking of regional interconnected development, Yu said Shenyang has sought to take the lead in building itself into an international central city in the nation and Northeast Asia.
To achieve such a goal, Shenyang should be the core of the city cluster of central and southern Liaoning and then an economic circle should be built around it, Yu added.
Shenyang is in a unique position to be the core, Yu said. It boasts a developed transportation network and it has the densest railway network in the nation, or even in East Asia.
Liaoning also has six coastal cities. In effect, Liaoning is not an inland province, Yu said. Its access to the sea makes it unique.
According to him, in terms of regional cooperation, Shenyang is one of the most open and industrialized cities in Northeast China. To be better engaged in high-level opening-up, Shenyang should be more than a regional front-runner and aim to be a central city in the nation.
"It should compare with Seoul in South Korea and become an international central city in Northeast Asia," Yu added.
Recently, Liaoning University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Shenyang government have jointly set up a research institute centered on building Shenyang into an international center in Northeast Asia. The institute is set to provide theoretical input into the city's vision, according to local officials.
More importantly, Yu added, both capital-intensive and labor-intensive industries can be found in Shenyang. "Due to the rising costs, some labor-intensive industries may be transferred to overseas countries. However, some capital-intensive industries will be moved to Northeast China as the smooth operations of these industries rely on a mature industrial chain and Liaoning and Shenyang are blessed with such an advantage," he said.
In the past six months, BMW's joint venture BMW Brilliance has invested 25 billion yuan ($3.49 billion) in Shenyang. "I have talked with a top executive from BMW and he said BMW has paid special attention to the projects in Shenyang," Yu said.
"This is not just a project taking place in Shenyang or Liaoning. It is a typical example showcasing our nation's opening-up achievements. This demonstrates foreign-funded enterprises' confidence and sincerity in our nation's opening-up."
yinruowei@chinadaily.com.cn
Yu Miaojie, president of Liaoning University
