Container ships flying the flags of different countries are docked at the port of Binhai New Area in Tianjin, with cranes quickly loading and unloading their cargo. Nearby, the Tianjin International Cruise Port has also been very busy, having received a total of 49 international cruise ships and handled 168,000 passengers in the first half of 2024.
All this confirms the activity and growth of Tianjin, the largest port city in northern China, within the framework of the central government’s call for “quality development.”
On July 22, Chinese Premier Li Qiang urged Tianjin to undertake all reform tasks, encourage high-level opening-up initiatives, vigorously engage in innovation efforts, and promote high-quality development by further deepening reform in an all-round manner.
The year 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Tianjin Pilot Free Trade Zone (TPFTZ). According to a recent executive meeting of the State Council, policies will be implemented to further support the high-quality development of Tianjin’s Binhai New Area.
Tianjin, located 120 kilometers east of Beijing, is a testament to China’s modern history.
In 1860, the British and French armies landed in Tianjin and occupied it, also forcing the city to open up to foreign business. In 1900, aggressive troops sent by eight major countries of the time seized Tianjin again, and then stormed Beijing to suppress the Boxer Uprising. Tianjin was the main headquarters of the Boxers, whose goal was to expel all foreigners from China.
Foreigners established settlement areas in Tianjin. By the early 20th century, the city had transformed into an international metropolis, rivaling Shanghai in terms of prosperity at the time.
Today, the city has become an important destination for foreign investment. Last year, the actual use of foreign investment in the TPFTZ increased by 18% year-on-year. More than 290 Fortune 500 companies have invested in the city.
Tianjin is home to Airbus’ only civil aircraft final assembly line in Asia, where more than 700 A320 Series aircraft have been assembled for customers in Asia and Europe. Tianjin is also the world’s second largest aircraft leasing base, accounting for one-third of China’s civil aircraft leasing industry.
The New York-based Juilliard School has set up a campus in Tianjin. Ellen Sirower, a 25-year-old New Yorker who is pursuing a doctorate, told reporters that she will be doing her summer internship at the Juilliard School in Tianjin to improve her professional skills and gain a better understanding of China.
“During the past 40 years of reform and opening-up, we have proactively seized the opportunities brought by economic globalization,” said Liang Yiming, deputy director of the management committee of Binhai New Area in Tianjin, adding that “we have now reached a new starting point for development.”
This enthusiasm for Tianjin’s development reflects the nationwide efforts to implement the requirements of the Third Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, namely to further deepen reform in all aspects and realize the goal of “building a strong socialist modernized country in all respects.”
Although Tianjin is one of China’s four municipalities directly under the central government and a traditional industrial center, its GDP ranks 24th among the country’s 31 provincial-level regions, and many people believe Tianjin still needs to develop.
The main task is to promote the integrated development of technological and industrial innovation, create more effective platforms for scientific innovation, strengthen incentives for researchers, and support small and medium-sized technology enterprises.
The new laboratory of Tianjin University School of Medicine is committed to research on brain-computer interface technologies. The researchers have succeeded in enabling the human brain to directly control drones and send WeChat messages, and have created a “brain-like” system, which can unmannedly control robots and perform tasks such as obstacle avoidance, tracking, grasping, etc.
The university’s medical school collaborates with scientists from several countries. “Our goal is to help patients, especially those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and people with partial disabilities,” said Liu Xiuyun, professor and chief scientist of the medical school.
Also in Tianjin, a new materials supplier has successfully produced high-quality welding materials for large LNG tanks, promoting national technological self-reliance in this field, while an AI-based company is able to fold solar panels to one-tenth of their original size for more convenient transportation.
The two companies joined the Tianjin Tiankai Higher Education Innovation Park last year, which brings together more than 2,000 innovative companies, banks and university laboratories.
Beijing-Tianjin Zhongguancun Science and Technology City, located in Baodi District, Tianjin, is another key platform for implementing the integrated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Favorable policies for attracting talents and other incentives are important for the development of the industrial park.
Men Liping, from Hebei Province, recently moved with her company from Beijing to Tianjin. “Based on the previous policy, I did not meet the requirements to settle in Tianjin. The idea of moving with my company and leaving my children in schools in different places was on my mind. Fortunately, the new policy not only solved the problem of my children’s enrollment in Tianjin, but also made it easier for me to settle here,” Ms. Men said.
“The revival of Tianjin is of great significance. By unleashing the power of the market economy, we will achieve high-quality development,” said Zhang Xueying, chairman of Tiankai Park.
