Foreign-Oriented Services

Zhejiang, a coastal province with a high degree of opening up to the outside world, boasts a favorable investment environment. Attaching great importance to foreign-related administration and services, it has timely revised and improved foreign-oriented economic regulations and policies for accelerating its conformity with WTO rules. In addition, it has introduced regulations for improving investment environment and favorable measures for promoting direct foreign investment. Such systems as public notification and making replies within the prescribed number of working days have been instituted and consolidated, and an on-line examination and approval system has also been introduced. The procedures for examination and approval of foreign investment projects have been further simplified, the approval approach improved and the conduct standardized for easy consultation and supervision on the part of the applicants. Certificates of foreign experts are issued to provide guarantee for foreign specialists to work and live in Zhejiang as well as for their entry and exit. A system to treat with complaints from foreign investors has been preliminarily formed with the founding of Zhejiang Complaint Center for Foreign Invested Enterprises and the Complaint and Conciliation Center for Taiwan Investors. Acting according to law, the customs office, commodity inspection, finance and taxation departments offer convenient services to investors. The project of building the Zhejiang Electronic Port has been accomplished and is now in operation to provide streamlined Customs clearance services. Database for projects utilizing foreign investment has been widely established in various localities. On-line investment negotiations have been introduced. A website has been launched to conduct online investment discussions. Establishment of agencies for promoting commerce abroad is under serious study.

Transport, Telecommunication, and Postal Services

Zhejiang is served by a comprehensive railroad network with Hangzhou, the provincial capital and Jinhua as hubs, and comprised of dozens of main and feeder railways such as Huhang (Shanghai-Hangzhou), Zhegan (Hangzhou-Nanchang), Xiaoyong (Xiaoshan-Ningbo), Xuanhang (Xuancheng-Hangzhou), Jinwen (Jinhua-Wenzhou), Xinchang (Xinyi-Changxing), Jinqian (Jinhua- Thousand-islet Lake). The railways of Zhegan and Huhang were electrified in 2006. At the end of 2006, Zhejiang has an operating railway mileage of 1,265 Km, and a total road mileage of 94,647 Km which includes 2,382 Km expressways and 3, 457 Km first rate roads. A "four-hour highway ring" is accomplished to connect the provincial capital of Hangzhou with all prefecture cities. Zhejiang is served with seven airports located in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Yiwu, Taizhou and Quzhou. In 2006, the number of passengers transported in and out amounted to 16.89 million persons. The capacity of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport stepped into Top 10 in the country. Constructions of Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge, Zhoushan Island-Mainland Link, and Dongtou Peninsula Project have speeded up.Zhejiang has an inland river cruise way of 9,652 Km. Port groups of Ningbo-Zhoushan, Wenzhou, Jiaxing and Taizhou have taken shape. There are 98 berths all at the 10,000-ton level in the coastal harbors. The volume for cargo and number of containers handled by the major coastal ports reached 510 million tons and 7.45 million units respectively. Among the above, the volume for cargo and number of containers handled by Ningbo-Zhoushan harbor amounted to 0.42 billion tons and 7.13 million tons.A modern telecommunication and express postal transport network has primarily been in service in Zhejiang. The four airmail delivery bureaus respectively located in Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Jinhua, and Hangzhou International Mail Exchange Center have been established. At the end of 2006, the provincial telephone switchboard had a capacity of 30.91 million units, in addition to 41.94 million mobile phones. Zhejiang stands in the front ranks in the country in the application of IT such as digital telecom, audio information service and telephone intelligence business. The province also leads the country in the application of public digital telecom and the coverage of videophone for conference services. There are 23.91 million telephone subscribers, 30.12 million mobile phone subscribers, and 6.5 million Internet subscribers.

Energy

Zhejiang is one of the provinces advanced in the utilization of multiple-source power generation including hydro, thermal, wind, tide and nuclear power. At the end of 2006, power plants in the province each with a capacity at or over 6,000 kw had a combined installed capacity for power generation of 37 million kw. Large thermal power plants have been built in Beilun, Zhenhai, Taizhou, Wenzhou, Jiaxing and Changxing, in addition to a number of large and medium-sized hydropower plants on the Xin'an, Fuchun, Wuxi and Jinshuitan rivers. The Qinshan Nuclear Power Station is the first of its kind independently designed and constructed by China itself. Tianhuangping Pumped-Storage Power Plant, the Tongbai Pumped-Storage Power Station and the Banshan Natural Gas Power Plant have been fully completed and put into operation. The pace of the construction of a number of extra-large electric projects including the second- and third-phase of the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station has been accelerated.

Ecological Environment

The quality of ecological environment in Zhejiang is generally steady. Some 60.5 percent of the territory in the province is planted with trees. In 2006, the quality of 60.2 percent of the water in the eight-river systems, the Grand Canal, major lakes and reservoirs in the province meets the first- to third-grade national standard for water. The proportion of the days in 2006 that the air quality in the eleven cities directly administered by the province met the second-grade national standard is above 82.2%, the noise level in the city environment is controlled under national standard, and the comprehensive recycle rate of industrial solid waste reaches 92.5%. Zhejiang scores 87.1 points and ranks the first in the country in the National Assess Report on Ecological Environment newly released by China General Station of Environment Monitoring.Tengtou Village in Fenghua and Upper Lijia Village in Ningbo, Xialu Town of Shaoxing and Shanyi Village of Xiaoshan are awarded the title of the "Global Top 500" by the United Nations Environment Program. Shaoxing County in Shaoxing City, Lishui, Anji in Huzhou, Haining in Jiaxing City, Ninghai in Ningbo City, and Pan'an in Jinhua are designated as "National Ecological Demonstration Zones". Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Fuyang, Huzhou, and Yiwu are awarded the title of "National Model City for Environmental Protection".