A leading hub for technological businesses, the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, or Beijing E-Town, is flourishing and continues to focus on developing and upgrading innovative industries.

These tech-intensive sectors include the integrated circuits industry, new energy automobiles, robotics, and the aerospace and biological medicine industries.

According to government data, the area's GDP hit 133 billion yuan ($21.01 billion) in 2017, surging 12 percent on 2016.

Companies that have been granted national high-tech enterprise status account for around 4 percent of the groups located in Beijing E-Town, according to the area's 2018 annual work meeting held in January.

Ye Bin, head of Beijing E-Town's enterprise service bureau, said the hub's structure and leading industries fit right in with the capital city's plans to upgrade its industries - especially in the new generation of information technology, integrated circuits and new energy automobiles.

In December, the Beijing government issued a guideline on accelerating scientific and technological innovation. The aim is to build a sophisticated economic structure with advanced, competitive and cutting-edge industries.

Beijing E-Town will continue to work on the industrial upgrade and innovation, in a bid to promote the restructuring of the local economy, Ye said.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp settled in the area and since 2012 has been one of the largest and most advanced integrated circuit manufacturers in China, according to the company.

Zhang Xin, vice-president of SMIC, attributed its achievements to the combined efforts of various levels of governments and the industry.

Zhang said the integrated circuits field was a strategic emerging industry in China.

"As a pioneer in leading the industry, Beijing has made substantial progress," he added.

Beijing E-Town International Investment and Development Co, a State-owned investment and financing platform, serves the area's technological innovation and industrial transformation and upgrading. The company invested 2.4 billion yuan in overseas mergers and acquisitions in 2015.

Part of the investments were related to integrated circuits, including sensor chips and semiconductor equipment. To date, the area has formed a complete industry chain in the integrated circuits sector, ranging from materials and design to equipment and production.

In response to the Made in China 2025 strategy, Beijing E-Town has also sped up its push into artificial intelligence. Early this year, the area set up the nation's first cross-border e-commerce robot-controlled warehouse at its bonded logistics center.

Wang Guohua, general manager of Beijing E-Town Bonded Direct Purchase Center Co, said the highlight of the robot-controlled warehouse was the adoption of the latest technology for its operations and management.

At the warehouse, the procedures for the selection of items, sorting and inspection are automated. A robot can deal with over 10,000 packages in eight working hours, four times the quantity that can be handled by a human worker.

Beijing E-Town plans to build more scientific and technological centers, as part of its innovation development.

By 2020, its GDP is seen reaching 200 billion yuan and according to its plan it will build over 20 leading innovation hubs relating to such fields as new energy automobiles, biopharmaceuticals and information technology.

liangkaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn

Visitors learn about research achievements at Centrin Data Systems in Beijing E-Town in 2017.Yang Kejia / China News Service

(China Daily 04/02/2018 page10)