www.chinaeconomicreview.com. As the capital city of Shanxi Province and a world well- known historical and cultural city, Xi’an is an important base for scientific research, high-education, science and technology industry for national defense and high- tech industries.
With a population of 8,305,400, Xi’an has 9 districts and 4 counties, which is an area of 10,108 square kilometers.
Xi’an plays an important role in West Development Strategy. Its advantages lie in three aspects: tourism resources; being a base of scientific research and education and high-tech industries of China; being a center of finance, commercial trade, transportation and information.
Eight significant advantages of Xi’an:
1. Being located in the center of land territory of China, it has become the largest node city in the trunk road network of the whole country and an important traffic hub to connect north-south ‘Grand Cross’ railway network.
In 2005, international flights from Xi’an to London, Paris, New York, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver have been opened. With 29 international flights, Xi’an has become the fourth-largest international air hub city.
2. Xi’an is a city with solid science and technology foundations and high innovation ability. It is an important base of scientific research, higher education, national defense science and high tech industries in China ranking third in China.
There are over 3,000 various types of scientific research institutions, including 93 national key laboratories, 29 national scientific research or industry testing centers, 400,000 professional technical personnel.
3. Xi’an focuses mainly on mechanical equipment, transportation, electronic information, aerospace, bio-medicine, food and beverage and petrochemicals. It has become a research and development center and production base of China at present for high-voltage power transmission equipment.
In 2007, the total output value of city based industries was RMB160 billion.
4. Xi’an has adequate supply of energy and human resources. In this respect, Xi’an is better than many other cities of China. Being in proximity of important energy base of the north of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an is rich in coal, natural gas and oil and has an adequate energy supply for industrial and residential use.
Meanwhile, the human resources cost in Xi’an is about 1/3 of the average cost of eastern coastal areas.
5. Xi’an has large number of cultural relics and abundant tourism resources.
6. Xi’an has broad financing channels and relatively complete financial system.
Alibaba points out that Qinling Mountain whose ridge reaches 2000-2800 meters in altitude lies in the south of Xi’an and it is an important boundary line to separate the north from the south geographically in China.
With an area of 10,108 square kilometers, it has a population of 7,250,000, among which there are built–up areas of 222 square kilometers and the city population is 5,163,000.
