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SCMP Reporter

AFTER years of lobbying, the Shenzhen government upgraded the status of Baoan County, dividing it into Baoan Zone and Longgang Zone on January 1.

  The move temporarily ended attempts to merge the 1692.5-square kilometre county into part of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ).5 sq km.

  But, Baoan officials say, the long-term objective of the city government is still to have Baoan included in the SEZ.

  ''Although we're not part of the SEZ, we already enjoy the same privileges,'' said Mr Liang Daoxing, the newly appointed leader of Baoan Zone.

  ''We've turned Baoan into a zone because we want to upgrade the administrative system from that of a village to that of a city.

  ''And this move should prepare Baoan to become part of the SEZ in the future,'' he said.

  Baoan was part of the SEZ in 1979 when the zone was set up. But in 1981 it was placed outside and became Baoan County.

  The new Baoan Zone has an area of 733 sq km, and Longgang Zone's area is 959.5 sq km.

  Mr Liang said after years of rapid development Baoan had become an industrialised area. But it had previously been poorly managed; there were no development plans, public facilities were inadequate, and the infrastructure was poor.

  ''It was still administered as if it were a village. How could its economic growth continue if this didn't change?'' said Mr Liang, who was the in charge of Luohu Zone before taking over in Baoan.

  In the work report announced last month, Mr Liang says Baoan Zone is expected to achieve output valued at 7.5 billion yuan (HK$10.2 billion) this year.

  Last year, Baoan County as a whole achieved a total output of six billion yuan.

  Industrial and agricultural output in Baoan Zone is predicted to amount to 4.04 billion yuan; the figure for Baoan County in 1992 was 3.26 billion yuan.

  Last year, the average annual wage in Baoan County was 4,500 yuan while per capita income was 2,100 yuan a year.

  This year, Mr Liang hopes the average annual wage will rise to 6,300 yuan for Baoan Zone residents this year, with per capita income at 3,200 yuan a year.

  The first thing Mr Liang did when he took over the zone was to draw up a master plan.

  ''Unlike previously, Baoan from now on will co-ordinate its development with that of the Shenzhen SEZ, Hongkong, Macau and the whole Pearl River Delta,'' he said.

  Under Mr Liang's plan, Baoan Zone will be divided into four development districts.

  The first, located to the south and covering Huangtian International Airport, will develop as an administrative centre. A sophisticated infrastructure system will be built in order to support the airport's operation.

  The second district, located to the west and including Shajing Town and Songgang Town, will be an area for hi-tech and heavy industries.

  The third, to the north, covers Gongming Town and Guangming Town, and will be a residential and warehouse area.

  The fourth, in the east, includes Longhua Town and Guannan Town. It will be a centre for tourism, agriculture and light industry.

  ''We can't do away with all labour-intensive industries, as they have been the ones which attract most foreign investment. But we'll curb their development because they offer only a low return,'' said Mr Liang.

  There are plans to increase capacity at the airport, according to Mr Liang.

  In addition, Baoan plans to build a light railway, which will surround the zone and be linked to the Shenzhen subway.

  Two superhighways will also be constructed. One, a 30-km six-lane road, will link the Huanggang, Meilin and Guannan. It should be completed by the middle of next year.

  The other is a 50-km six-lane highway, linking the airport, Keao and Yantian. Construction will finish in 1995.

  There are also plans to build a railway between Pingnan and Chiwan with a link to the Guangshen railway.



Baoan Zone sets ambitious agenda for development