Model Cities

Dalian

Background

Geographic Background

Dalian is located in Liaoning province, China, at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula. It has a population of 5.4 million, and is the only port city in the northeastern region of China, serving as a gateway to the provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. Its long coastline encompasses the Bohai Sea on the west, and the Yellow Sea on its eastern border. The "Bohai Rim" is one of China's fastest growing regions. Dalian's nearest international neighbours are Japan and Korea, and it enjoys close commercial and cultural links with both countries.

With a latitude of 39 N, Dalian enjoys a northern temperate climate and is famous for its clean air and long hours of sunshine-Dalian has an annual average of 2,847 hours of sunshine, making it the sunniest of all Chinese cities. With its beautiful coastal scenery and fresh ocean breezes, Dalian has developed as a major tourist destination and is known as the "Vancouver of China". It truly is one of China's most exceptional cities.


Economic Background

At the tip of the Liaodong Peninsula in northeast China's Liaoning province, Dalian is increasingly important in global trade due to its strengths in shipping, manufacturing, finance and tourism.

The city of 6 million residents is a hub for the Bohai Bay area and the northeast Asia economic region that faces Japan and both the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea across the Yellow Sea.


Shipping hub

With 1,906 km of coastline, Dalian's shipping network connects Bohai Bay and northeast China to ports across the globe. Its Zhoushuizi International Airport, the largest airfreight center in northeastern China, handles 130 daily domestic and international flights including more than 30 between Dalian and Beijing each day. Weekly more than 70 flights connect with Japan and over 40 serve South Korea.

Ships leave Dalian Port for more than 300 destinations in over 160 countries and regions. Over 70 percent of goods shipped by sea and more than 90 percent of foreign-bound trade containers from northeast China pass through Dalian Port.

Throughput at the port surpassed 165.44 million tons last year, up 13.9 percent over 2006, when it handled 3.81 million containers, an increase of 18.7 percent.

The port's ore and crude oil terminals each have a capacity of 300,000 tons. Another terminal is dedicated to shipping automobiles.

Test operations are now underway on a Yantai-Dalian train ferry across Bohai Bay to Shandong province.

The Dayaowan Bonded Harbor Area, which started operations in 2007 in the north of the city, is also part of Dalian's bid to become the international shipping hub of northeast Asia.


Dalian Service Outsourcing Industry Development

Purpose:

Dalian has set up the plan for urban brand strategy to gain global service outsourcing industry market share. Under the strategy, Dalian has conducted the internationalized strategy and urban brand strategy in the construction of the electronic information and software base, which is one of the Four Bases. Dalian has deepened the software export to Japan and expanded the European and the US software outsourcing market, trying hard to strengthen the development and application of BPO, ITO, KPO, embedded software and software with independent property right. In addition, digital industry and IT talents education and training have been pushed to a new height, aiming to build Dalian into the training center for China's outsourcing talents and service outsourcing center in Northeast Asia.

According to the plans, by the year 2010, 4 to 6 large service outsourcing enterprises with annual turnover surpassing RMB 1 billion will be build; 50 famous Dalian software brands produced; 140,000 employees hired in service outsourcing industry. By the end of the "eleventh five-year plan", the total output value of service outsourcing industry will reach RMB 50 billion with export volume US$ 2.8 billion.

Through formulating preferential policies in terms of service outsourcing enterprises and software talents introduction, service outsourcing specialized fund has been established while service outsourcing examination and rewarding system being carried out. Through the implementation of talents strategy, Dalian tries harder to attract and introduce high-caliber talents and strengthen HR training, aiming to improve the management of service outsourcing talents. The construction of industrial parks and zones has been speeded up so as to expand outsourcing market. International service outsourcing fair has been held to promote the recognition and image of Dalian as a service outsourcing center. All efforts are made to build Dalian into a leading city in the global software and service outsourcing industry.


Political Support:

Dalian Municipal People's Government has issued policies and documents including Dalian Municipal People's Government's Opinions on Speeding Up the Development of Software Industry, Stipulations on Introducing Software Talents of Dalian, Opinions on Encouraging the Development of Software Industry, Management of Specially-Allocated Fund for Software Enterprises in Dalian, Stipulations to Protect Individual Information of Dalian Software and Information Service Industry, Measures of Dalian Customs to Support Software Export, Dalian Municipal People's Government's Opinions on Promoting the Service Outsourcing Development, etc. Dalian Municipal People's Government has established a special fund to help enterprises to participate international certification, HR education and training and public technology and facility construction. Service outsourcing has been incorporated into foreign export and foreign assets allocation verification and examination system. In addition, service outsourcing can be awarded according to the foreign trade development fund and awarding rules of foreign assets introduction.

Devott Publications
The Selection of the TOP Global Outsourcing Destinations – China TOP 15 (TGOD China TOP 15) Ended and Its Rankings and Research Reports are Now Available Worldwide