Hefei-Wuhu-Bengbu Aims to Evolve into an Industrial Innovation Hub

The Chinese government said on Monday that it gave the nod to the establishment of two national innovation demonstration zones in Anhui and Fujian provinces, respectively.

One of the zones, consisting of high tech zones in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, as well as in Wuhu and Bengbu cities, is intended as an influential hub of industrial innovation, according to the written approval.

The Hefei-Wuhu-Bengbu innovation demonstration zone will take the lead in reforming sci-tech systems and implementing innovation-related policies, the government said in the statement.

In addition, the zone will strive to grow into a template for commercialization of research findings, a driving force behind industrial innovation and upgrading, and an ecological quarter for mass entrepreneurship and innovation.

The three cities will enhance their core competitiveness largely concerning independent innovation and innovation-driven development, Zhou Yunfeng, a local economist, said in an interview with the Paper.cn.

Hefei, Wuhu and Bengbu will be given priority in acquiring innovation resources, Zhou added.

The annual output of Anhui’s strategic emerging industries has risen by roughly 30 percent in recent years, official statistics showed. Standing out among them were electronic information, high-end equipment manufacturing, modern medicine and new energy.

Regionally, Hefei is competitive in information technology, while Wuhu and Bengbu are renowned for robot-making and green energy, respectively.

The zone should work together with its counterparts across the country, including Shanghai’s Zhangjiang, Hubei province’s Donghu and Sichuan province’s Chengdu high tech zones, in a bid to ‘form a complete regional chain for innovation,’ an official with the Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission said on condition of anonymity.

The central government has approved the establishment of 16 national innovation demonstration zones, according to the Paper.cn.