Competitiveness

Datong possesses rich mineral resources, particularly coal. It is reputed as the capital of coal in China because of its great reserves of quality coal. Datong has 71.8 billion tons of coal deposit and the annual output exceeds 100 million tons. There is a train that leaves Datong every 15 minutes with 10,000 tons of quality thermal coal, which is dispersed around the country.

Datong also has a developed electric power industry. As a major production base in North China, the city has generated a total of 6.7 million kilowatts of installed capacity, which provides electricity of 32 billion kilowatt-hour each year.

In addition, the manufacturing of machinery in Datong has a long history. The flagship products are electric locomotives, diesel motors and heavy-duty truck gearboxes. The pharmaceutical industry has rapidly developed in the city, where the annual output accounts for 50 percent of the total value in Shanxi province.

Datong has a convenient geographical location. It is about 300 kilometers east of Beijing, while Taiyuan in located in the south and Huhhot in the north. It sits closely with Bohai economic zone, and also the intersection of the central and western regions of the country. The city has a high-speed and convenient transportation system. It has a station with many main railway lines as well as 40 sub lines. There are also four expressways, two national roads and 11 provincial roads.