Shanghai Daily news

Jinshan has recently unveiled a plan to further develop its fine chemical industry by introducing more favorable financial policies.
The plan includes measures for ecological balance and innovative technologies in a district where several big petrochemical firms and two renowned academic institutions are located. The two colleges, Shanghai Vocational Technical College and Shanghai Petrochemical Industrial College, have trained over 20,000 chemical plant workers to date.
Two industrial parks are at the forefront in realizing the district's goal. Jinshan Industrial Park covers an area of 44 square kilometers, while Jinshan Second Industrial Park is a new large-scale enterprise focused on petrochemicals, fine chemicals and value-added organic chemical materials.
Designated by the national government as a development site for a world-class chemical industry, the Jinshan Second Industrial Park currently has 25 plants in operation with another 20 under construction.
Its total investment by year end will be 2.39 billion yuan (US$305.6 million), up 61.98 percent compared with last year. The zone has attracted 10 foreign projects this year.
Apart from the increased investment, the growing concern for environmental protection has put the concept of ecological balance at the forefront. As such, there is an increasingly greater need to apply research achievements into developing a new and improved chemical industry; the new technology will be a key factor in driving the economic development.
Innovation is considered key to the growth of the Jinshan Second Industrial Park. In order to enhance the ability to further industrialize this new high-tech technology, the district government fully supports the construction of the Jinshan Chemical Incubator Base for high-tech chemical research.
The incubator, which is located in the new industrial park, is focused on developing intellectual property rights of its own. The district believes this will attract chemical enterprises with innovative abilities to Jinshan and accelerate the development towards "high, fine, unique and original" products through incubation.
"Our ultimate goal for the industrial zone is to create an integrated base for the chemical industrial chain with intellectual property rights of our own," said Yao Rong, a Jinshan Second Industrial Park official.
To increase awareness about the city's chemical industry, this year Shanghai has started several industrial and agricultural tours that take visitors to famous corporations, agricultural parks and industrial exhibition halls. The city's first wine museum in Jinshan District is among the latest attractions.
As a suburban district, Yao said his industrial park was striving to attract more international companies to settle there, and it was hoping to become the number one petrochemical park in the country.
"Promoting the industrial tours is an efficient way of letting people know about Jinshan," Yao said. "We hope the industrial park tours will soon be a popular attraction among visitors."