1. Introduction

Ningbo is a major departure port of the ancient Maritime Silk Road and porcelain trade. President Xi Jinping once remarked that Ningbo stood as a living monument to the past interactions of the ancient Silk Road. Ever since the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port started integrated operation, it has risen to be the most important trunk port in global ocean shipping and one of China’s major national hub ports. The port nowadays serves as a key iron ore transfer base, crude oil transfer base, and liquid chemical storage and transportation base in China. It is as well a critical coal and grain storage and transportation base in East China. The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port is considered a principal gateway to the global shipping and trade network as it is connected to more than 240 international shipping routes that serve more than 600 ports in 100+ countries and regions.

Ningbo, despite occupying only 0.1% of China’s land territory, contributes 1.2% of national GDP and 1.5% of national fiscal revenue, respectively the third and first place among sub-provincial cities, and both the first among the country’s five municipalities with a separate state-planning status.

Sub-Provincial City, One of China’s Only Five Cities With a Separate State-Planning Status

World’s Third Largest Port City

Departure Port of the Maritime Silk Road

Top 15 Center Cities in China in Terms of Comprehensive Development

Advanced Manufacturing Base in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD)

Total Land and Sea Area: 18,172 sq. km.

Total Population: 8.542 Million

Administrative Regions:

6 districts: Haishu District, Jiangbei District, Zhenhai District, Beilun District, Yinzhou District, Fenghua District

2 County-Level Cities: Yuyao City, Cixi City

2 Counties: Ninghai County, Xiangshan City

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port: the world’s busiest port for 11 consecutive years

Ningbo Lishe International Airport: one of the 4 major international airports in the YRD

All main destinations in Ningbo are within a 30-minute commute radius. Ningbo is within Hangzhou’s “1-hour commute radius” and Shanghai’s “2-hour commute radius”.

The “Golden Southern Wing” of YRD Integration：

Total GDP: 1.19851 trillion yuan, 6.8% YoY increase

(Top 12 in China; per capita GDP is over 20,000 USD)

Ratio of the output of the first/second/third industry: 2.7:48.2:49.1

Total Fiscal Revenue: 278.49 billion yuan

Industrial Output: 516.46 billion yuan (the highest among China’s five municipalities with a separate state-planning status)

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port Traffic: 1.12 billion tons of cargo (ONLY mega port in the world that exceeds 1.1 billion tons); 27.535 million TEU (the THIRD place in the world)

Total Foreign Trade: 917.03 billion yuan (the 5th largest in China)

Paid-in Domestic Capital: 136.827 billion yuan

Paid-in Foreign Investment: 2.36 billion USD

A total of 63 non-Chinese mainland FTSE 500 enterprises have set up 141 investment programs in Ningbo, with a total investment of 18.7 billion USD

China (Zhejiang) Free Trade Pilot Zone Joint Innovation Zone

China (Ningbo) Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Experimental Zone

The First ‘16+1’ Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone in China

Comprehensive Experimental Zone for the Construction of "the Belt and Road" Initiative

Cross-border E-Commerce Import & Export Volume: 128.2 billion USD

A total of 12.396 billion USD of foreign investment (737 programs) were approved in 2019, including 10 newly initiated or follow-up programs from 8 non-Chinese mainland FTSE 500 enterprises (Mitsui & Co.(Japan), Itochu Group(Japan), Engie Group (France), Charoen Pokphand Group (Thailand), Xiwei SHV (the Netherlands), Formosa Plastics Group,Bosch Group (Germany),The Linde Group(Germany)).

With investment and trade ties with more than 220 countries (regions) and sister cities agreement with more than 100 foreign cities, Ningbo is amongst the most open cities in China. It is the eighth city in China to register more than 100 billion USD of foreign trade, the ninth to achieve more than 50 billion USD of paid-in foreign investment, the first to accomplish more than 10 billion yuan of annual cross-border import volume, and the fourth sub-provincial city to have more than 10 billion USD of outbound investment. In the last few years, Ningbo has been focusing on deepening cooperation with Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) and other Belt and Road Initiative countries. In 2019, the CPC Central Committee and State Council approved the annual hosting of China-CEEC Expo in Ningbo as a national-level international event every June. The framework plan for building the China (Zhejiang) Free Trade Pilot Zone Joint Innovation Zone was published in the same year. Ningbo is working towards building itself into a highland of opening up to the outside world in higher levels and better quality.

2. Key Industries

Advanced Manufacturing + International Trade

Balanced and integrated development in both areas

The 246 Industrial Development Plan

Ningbo has identified 12 of its most successful traditional and emerging sectors for special support based on impact, scale, cluster effect, and growth potential. By 2025, the goals is to foster two global industrial clusters over 1 trillion yuan in size (green petrochemicals and auto manufacture), four influential clusters over 500 billion yuan in size (high-end equipment, new materials, information technology, software & services), and six domestically-successful clusters over 100 billion yuan in size (key electronic components, smart home appliances, fashion & textiles, biopharmaceuticals, stationery & sporting goods, green technologies). . In 2019, the total industrial value added of these industries was 317.07 billion yuan, representing a growth of 7.3%.

Two Trillion-Yuan Industrial Clusters

Green Petrochemicals

Ningbo aims to cultivate a globally successful green petrochemical production hub, with a focus on new energy, new materials, and high-end products derived from petrochemicals. Ningbo is already one of China’s seven main hubs for petrochemical processing. The existing green petrochemical sector is already of considerable scale, has great potential, and sophisticated in structure. The most successful companies are Sinopec Zhenhai, Zhejiang Yisheng Petrochemical, and CNOOC Ningbo Daxie Petrochemical

Auto Manufacture

Ningbo aims to focus on fuel-efficient cars, new energy cars, connected vehicles, and key auto parts. We also strive to increase the number of whole-vehicle plants, support the production of high-end auto parts, and make the auto after-sales sector more professional, eventually becoming one of the world’s leading auto production clusters. Volkswagon, Geely, and ten other whole-vehicle manufacturers have facilities in Ningbo. Over 4,400 more companies are part of the local auto supply chain, including Joyson, Huaxiang, and Shuanglin Auto Parts. Our city has great potential in product stratification, brand impact, sales channels, R&D, and innovation.

Four 500-Billion-Yuan Industrial Clusters

High-End Equipment

Ningbo aims to focus on the production of equipment for smart manufacturing, specialized equipment, and high-end equipment of all types. We support makers of equipment to upgrade their technology, make breakthroughs in core control system design, and produce more digital, smart equipment. Ningbo’s CNC machine tools, servo motors, and equipment for the stationery & sporting goods sector are among the most competitive domestically and internationally.

New Materials

Ningbo aims to support the production of new metal materials, polymers, magnetic materials, and electronics materials; accelerate R&D across the supply chain; promote the commercialization of new applications and marketing of new products. Top Ningbo companies in this field include Yunsheng and Konfoong. Top research institutes include the CAS Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering and the Ningbo Branch of the Chinese Academy of Ordnance Science.

Information Technology

Ningbo aims to focus on the production of integrate circuits, optical electronics, auto electronics, and smart electronics. Driven by downstream end-user application demands, Ningbo strives to support product design, system integration, and digital content creation to create a globally-leading industrial cluster and China’s top production center of analogue IC design and innovation. Ningbo’s best products are optical electronics, auto electronics, and sensors. Its best companies include Joyson and Sunny Optical.

Software & Emerging Services

Ningbo aims to foster digital services, tech services, supply chain services, and business-related services, helping manufacturing companies to upgrade their capacity and move up the value chain.

Six Hundred-Billion-Yuan Industrial Clusters

Key Electronic Components

Ningbo aims to support the manufacture of high-speed precision heavy-duty bearings, precision transmission parts, high-pressure hydraulic parts, high-performance pump valves, highly-reliable pneumatic components, high-strength fasteners, special motors, and smart control system devices. We will also support coordinated innovation between parts design and whole-device design and accelerate the industrial application of new products.

Smart Home Appliances

Ningbo aims to support the manufacture of smart A/C units, kitchen appliances, fridges, laundry machines, and connected appliances. Home appliance companies will have better access to cloud computing, big data, AI and other cutting edge technologies to explore new user scenarios for smart home appliances and to create an R&D platform that is open, coordinated, efficient, and shared by all players in the industry.

Fashion & Textiles

Ningbo aims to support the manufacture of fashion garment, home textiles, and knit fabrics, encouraging companies to embrace digitized, smart, flexible, and coordinated development. Companies are also encouraged to increase their brand influence, boost product quality, and diversify product range for upgraded growth.

Biopharmaceuticals

Ningbo aims to support high-end medical equipment, pharmaceutical chemistry, and the biopharmaceutical sectors. We foster technological breakthroughs in biotechnology, innovative chemical pharmaceuticals, high-end imaging equipment, implants, IVD reagents, and high-value medical consumables. Our goal is to create a professional support system for the industry that caters to all their needs in R&D, clinical trials, pilot experiments, commercialization, approval applications, inspections, and testing.

Stationery & Sporting Goods

Ningbo aims to support the manufacture, product diversification, and design of stationery, art supplies, teaching supplies, and sporting goods. We support companies to meet the ever-upgrading demands of consumers, boost product quality, and increase brand recognition. 

Green Technologies

Ningbo aims to support the production of efficient electronic light sources, energy-saving lamps, efficient power transmission and distribution equipment, efficient energy-saving equipment, water purification equipment, advanced environmental protection specialized equipment, environmental protection agents and materials, and recycling technology. We foster breakthroughs and supply chain upgrading in efficient LED lamps, power transmission and distribution equipment, residual energy utilization equipment, servo motors, air compressors, pumps, membrane treatment equipment, automotive exhaust purifiers, and environmental monitoring products.