TEDA AND ZTE AGRIBUSINESS COMPANY LIMITED SIGN AN INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT
On May 31, TEDA and ZTE Agribusiness Company Limited inked an investment framework agreement to co-establish the ZTE Agribusiness Tianjin Edible Oil and Bio-energy Industrial Base in the Nangang Industrial Park, with a total investment of 194 million dollars.

The base will be comprised of such projects as a palm oil processing and storage base with an annual output of 900,000 ton, a bio-diesel production base of an annual output of 100,000 ton, a fuel ethanol production base with an annual output of 100,000 ton, an agricultural and bio-technology research institute, a global sales center, etc. After its completion, the base will attain an annual sales income of 6.4 billion yuan and profits of 500 million yuan and contribute tax of nearly 190 million yuan. Besides, the company will regard Tianjin as its base to develop overseas agricultural projects. It plans to invest 880 million dollars in five years to grow crops on 200,000-hectare land abroad and reserve one million-hectare overseas agricultural land in ten years. (Tr. by Chen Yu)

SIBRE OPENS NEW PLANT IN TEDA
Sibre China recently celebrated its ten-year anniversary by launching a new plant for wind turbine brakes in TEDA.
Set up in 2004 as a joint venture by the Sibre Group from Germany, Sibre Brakes (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. has grown into a heavyweight player on the local machinery manufacturing arena in five years. Nationwide, Sibre has expanded its Chinese team from 3 to 60 people in ten years, with sales revenue soaring from 3 million to 300 million in 2008.
Sibre, incorporated in 1958, is the biggest industrial brake producer in Germany and a technological leader in the industry. Its block and disc brakes are now widely applied on port cranes, steel mill cranes, thermal and nuclear power plants, hydro-power plant cranes, wind turbines, belt conveyers, piling machines, and other equipments. (Tr. by Zhang Shanshan)

VIMICRO ELETRONICS R&D CENTER BREAKS EARTH
On June 10th, TEDA Service Outsourcing Park witnessed the grand earth-breaking ceremony for the Starlight China Chip Project R&D Center of Vimicro Electron Corporation.

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China’s first trading platform for environmental protection and emission reduction unveiled in TEDA
As China’s first comprehensive platform for environmental protection and emission reduction, Tianjin Climate Exchange was recently unveiled in the Financial Street of TEDA. Clean development mechanism and emission trading market are one of the important measures of the TBNA to implement the general plan of pilot comprehensive supportive reform.

Co-established by CNPC Assets Management Co., Ltd., Tianjin Property Rights Exchange, and Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), Tianjin Climate Exchange has the following goals:
To help enterprises cost-effectively reduce emissions of pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, chemical oxygen demand, etc.

• To help enterprises achieve maximum energy efficiency at minimum cost
• To help enterprises manage environmental risks and meet increasing disclosure requirements
• To provide enterprises with integrated international emissions market access and experience
• To provide price transparency to all parties
• To provide design excellence and innovative financial products in environmental markets
• To guarantee environmental integrity through standardized procedures
• To build the skills and institutions needed to cost-effectively manage emissions
• To facilitate capacity-building in both government departments and enterprises to improve emissions management
• To establish intellectual leadership for China in emissions management through market-based mechanism
• To help advance environmental policy and objectives established by China
• To supply high quality information, education and related services to interested parties on emissions trading

Tianjin Climate Exchange offers auctions of “registered and issued CER (certified emission reduction)”, “verified emission reduction”, and “other environmental products to come”. Its members comprise emission members, liquidity providers and auction participant members. Sale of verified emission reduction may not only raise funds for companies but change the originally non-profitable pollutant reduction. According to insiders, the establishment of the exchange will be beneficial to China to obtain pricing rights in international emission trading market and helpful to a great number of Chinese enterprises with emission deduction targets.

Environment exchange first appeared in the U.S. As the sulfur dioxide exchange system started in the 1990s in the U.S. and made progress, people began to re-examine the special role of market-based measures in environmental protection. Launched in 2003, CCX is a pioneering global platform for climate exchange and the world’s only active voluntary, legally binding integrated trading system to reduce emissions of all six major greenhouse gases. (Tr. by Chen Yu)

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TEDA ADMINISTRATIVE COMMISSION AND REICHHOLD POLYMERS (TIANJIN) INKS AN AGREEMENT ON INVESTMENT AND COOPEATION
Recently the Administrative Commission of TEDA and Reichhold Polymers (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. held a ceremony for signing an agreement on investment and cooperation in the Investment Service Center.

It is introduced that Reichold is the world’s largest resin supplier and one of the top 100 manufacturers in the U.S. It specializes in providing epoxy vinyl ester resin, gelcoat resin, and structural adhesive. It boasts over 80 years of history in the research of polymeric material and related technologies and is capable of providing a complete range of solutions. In 2007, Reichhold saw its revenue over 1.2 billion dollars worldwide.

With 13 million euros of investment in its first stage and occupying a land of 46,000 m2, Reichhold Polymers (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. set up by Reichhold plans to produce 500,000 ton of synthetic resin and is expected to have its industrial output value up to 500 million yuan in the year when production begins. With turbine blade producers as its main clients, the company wills sell most of its products in the Chinese market. (Tr. by Chen Yu)

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FDI UTILIZATION CONTINUES TO GROW IN TEDA
In this May 10 new foreign enterprises were approved and 15 existing ones increased their investment in TEDA with new foreign investment, contracted overseas investment and actually funded investment adding up to 793 million, 316 million and 212 million US dollars respectively. Another 67 domestic-funded enterprises were registered with a total registered capital of 4.005 billion yuan.

So far this year, TEDA has approved 52 new foreign enterprises and saw 87 existing ones increased their investment. Its accumulative investment hit 3.329 billion, contracted overseas investment 2.004 billion (up by 24.09% y-o-y), and actually-funded investment 920 million US dollars (up 16.46% y-o-y).

Among the new foreign-funded enterprises approved in May, two have invested over 10 million US dollars respectively and another two are invested by multinationals. New comers such as Vitalink Coating (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. and Reichhold Macromolecule (Tianjin) best represents the emerging industries of TEDA while the reinvestment and expansion of star enterprises such as Tianjin FAW Toyota Co., Ltd., Tencent Digital (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., and Tianjin Suanhuan Lucky New Material Co., Ltd. have further fueled up the economic growth of the Tianjin Binhai New Area. (Tr. by Zhang Shanshan)

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18TH ASIAN CORPORATE CONFERENCE OF ASIA SOCIETY OPENED IN TEDA
On the afternoon of May 28, 2008, the 18th Asian Corporate Conference of Asia Society was opened in the Convention Center of the Renaissance Tianjin TEDA Hotel in TEDA, Tianjin Binhai New Area. The theme of the conference is “a new era for global business: sustainable growth for China and the world”. The three-day conference attracted 1,100 people, including political leaders, celebrities from economic and academic circles, and CEOs and senior executives of multinationals from over ten countries and regions of the Asia-Pacific region attended the three-day conference. The conference involved an opening ceremony, keynote speeches of government leaders, speeches given at meetings, and seminars on specific topics, etc. (Tr. by Chen Yu)

TEDA NAMED A MODEL GREEN INDUSTRIAL PARK
The working meeting for state-level eco-industrial parks was held in TEDA from May 20th to 21st with the presence of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Science and Technology. The meeting, highlighted by the theme of scientific development concept, has briefed the progresses and experiences in the development of state-level bio-industrial parks and released next-step work plans. Ms. Fu Wenjuan, Member of the Party Leading Group of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Commissioner of CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Ms. Ma Xiuhong, Vice Minister of Commerce, and Mr. Cao Jianlin, Vice Minister of Science and Technology granted certificates to China’s first batch of accredited state-level eco-industrial parks such as TEDA, Suzhou Industrial Park and Suzhou National New and Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone.

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OVERSEAS CHINESE INVESTMENT FUND ESTABLISHED IN TEDA
Recently the Overseas Chinese Investment (Tianjin) Fund (Limited Partnership) registered in TEDA. Focused on private equity investment, the Fund aims at funding the projects that enjoy the incentive policies of Tianjin municipal government and the competitive projects in the Circum Bohai region, and meanwhile endeavors to expand China’s investment in resource projects across the globe. The Fund plans to raise a capital of 5 billion RMB yuan.

It is learned that with the strong support of All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and Tianjin Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese as well as all the Chinese living abroad, relatives of overseas Chinese, and overseas Chinese entrepreneurs, the Fund, with Friedmann Pacific Assets Management Co., Ltd. under Hong Kong based Friedmann Pacific Investment Holdings Limited as the initiator, is jointly set up and run by Friedmann Pacific Assets Management Co., Ltd. and Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG, in association with overseas central banks, China’s famous enterprises and other institutional investors from home and abroad. In light of China’s relevant laws and policies of supporting the financial reforms and pilot projects in TNCD, Tianjin Administration for Industry and Commerce and the Administrative Commission of TEDA conducted innovation in the registration administration and services and made breakthroughs in terms of name management regulations, so that the Fund quickly completed the registration procedures for its establishment and easily obtained its market entry permit in Tianjin. (Tr. by Dong Jing)

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TEDA BECOMES ONE OF CHINA’S FIRST ECO-INDUSTRIAL PARKS
Thanks to the efforts in the past over four years, TEDA, on March 8, passed the acceptance test of three ministries and commissions of the central government and then became one of China’s first group of eco-industrial parks. Between March 7 and 8, the expert team and acceptance team of the leading office of the development of the national eco-industrial model zones, which is composed of the State Environmental Protection Administration, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, conducted in TEDA a two-day acceptance test including the examination, site inspection, and Q&As. Based on the Q&As and discussions of specialists, the teams pointed out in the Acceptance Result, that TEDA was developing into an eco-industrial park “propelled by the government, centered on enterprises, and supported by all people.” The basic conditions and indicators of TEDA meet the requirement as stipulated in China’s Standards for Comprehensive Eco-Industrial Parks.

It is learned that in 2004 the State Environmental Protection Administration of China officially approved TEDA to establish a state-level eco-industrial model zone. In September 2005, TEDA was approved to be one of China’s first group of pilot zones for circular economy by such six ministries and commissions of China including the National Development and Reform Commission, State Environmental Protection Administration, Ministry of Commerce, and Ministry of Science and Technology. After working hard for a few years, TEDA has developed an approach featured by the most efficient way of utilizing resources, reducing pollution, and increasing profits in the process of developing into an eco-industrial park. The next goal of TEDA is to “forge a new mode of green development.”

Apart from TEDA, Suzhou Industrial Park and Suzhou National New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone have also passed the acceptance test. After the 15 day national public announcement, upon the result of the announcement, TEDA, Suzhou Industrial Park, and Suzhou National New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone will become China’s first group of eco-industrial model zones. (Tr. by Dong Jing)

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Over the last 3 years, Tianjin has seen a lot of change. While historically a very industrial city (core advantage being the port), Tianjin has really been able to leverage the FDI brought through TEDA to develop the city.

Like Suzhou, we are seeing that Tianjin’s mix of investment is changing and that as TEDA looks to move up the value chain, there are other areas in the New Binhai area that are willing to take on the overflow investment.

and as the first two pieces indicate, their strategy is working. To learn more about Tianjin, see their profile here and take a few minutes to learn about the new direction of the Binhai area as well

TEDA SEES US$ 6.164 BILLION FDI IN 2007
In December, TEDA has newly approved the establishment of five foreign funded enterprises and the investment increase of 12 companies. The total investment and contracted overseas investment respectively reached US$ 539 million and 202 million.
For the year 2007, accumulatively TEDA has witnessed the establishment of 186 foreign funded enterprises and the investment increase of 255 enterprises. Accumulatively the total investment amounted to US$ 6.164 billion, contracted overseas investment US$ 3.9 billion, and capital in place US$ 1.930 billion. The contracted overseas investment and capital in place are respectively 20.00% and 20.62% up from the previous year. With a total contracted investment of US$ 95.021 million, eight new enterprises are funded by the Fortune 500 companies. Besides, due to TEDA’s super investment environment, some key enterprises have accelerated their pace of development by increasing their capital. In 2007, 26 of the top 500 companies including Foxconn, Kumho Tires, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and PPG Coatings, have expanded their production and the investment has accumulatively increased by US$ 183 million. (Tr. by Dong Jing)

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Over the last 3 years, Tianjin has seen a lot of change. While historically a very industrial city (core advantage being the port), Tianjin has really been able to leverage the FDI brought through TEDA to develop the city.

Like Suzhou, we are seeing that Tianjin’s mix of investment is changing and that as TEDA looks to move up the value chain, there are other areas in the New Binhai area that are willing to take on the overflow investment.

and as the first two pieces indicate, their strategy is working.  To learn more about Tianjin, see their profile here and take a few minutes to learn about the new direction of the Binhai area as well

Continue reading »

While on a trip to Sinapore in 2001 with 30 Thunderbird students, we were given a behindthe scenes tour of the singapore port and its plans to develop.  the goal was simple.. surpase HK once and for all.

Well, apparently it didn’t work out as planned, and as reported in the China and Shanghai Daily papers, Shanghai has now passed HK to become the world’s second largest port with an amazing 26+ million TEUs.

If there were any doubt about how important the Yangtze delta has become, this should bring about a bit of reality.  26 million TEUS is nearly the throughput of the entire country of Vietnam, and that is factoring in the bulk freight that is also moving through the port.

and if that weren’t enough, Tianjin just logged a 20% increase on last year with 7 million TEUs … and is looking to ramp that us significantly over the next few years.

Now wonder a PE fund specifically for improving the shipping industry is being set up in Tianjin…. Shipping expansion floated

So, congratulations to the folsk at Shanghai Port, and JIAYOU to the folks at Tianjin port.