A 443-square-kilometer swathe of land to the north of Laoshan Mountain and its adjacent seas will soon evolve into the eco-friendly Blue Silicon Valley Core Area, which will provide continuous support for the overall development of Shandong's blue economic zone.

Covering two traditional administrative units, Aoshanwei and Wenquanzhen in Jimo county, the core area accounts for 77 percent of the total area of Blue Silicon Valley. It comprises a land area of 218 sq km and sea area of 225 sq km, 100 percent of the Blue Silicon Valley's sea area.

"The Blue Silicon Valley core area is the most central point of the Blue Silicon Valley, and it will drive the development of a marine economy," said Li Qun, Qingdao Party chief and member of the standing committee of the Shandong Party committee.

"The prioritized goal of the core area is to attract leading marine scientific research institutes, high-end new marine industries, and the elite in marine science and technology," said Li.

Construction of some of the major sites for marine innovation are already under way, including the national deep-sea base, the national laboratory for marine science and technologies, and the Qingdao branch of Shandong University.

Other key projects are also under construction that will form a cluster of facilities for key corporations. These include the No 725 Branch of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, the National Marine Measurement and Equipment Test Center, the Aoshan Marine-related Comprehensive Experiment Base of the First Institute of Oceanography under the State Oceanic Administration, the National Under-water Culture Heritage Preservation Qingdao Base and the Qingdao Technological Park of Harbin Institute of Technology.

According to Han Shouxin, director of the administrative committee of the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area, it is positioned to grow into a first-rate urban district with low-carbon emissions, a high concentration of top talent and research institutes and incubator centers for emerging marine industries.

"We will build up more public platforms for marine technology development, ramping up incubators and cultivating mechanisms, thus create the best environment to attract global talents, institutes and investors to work together on a more vibrant Blue Silicon Valley Core Area," said Han.

Major platforms for marine scientific research, education, commercialization and academic exchange will be set up in this area to accelerate the comprehensive development of marine high-tech industries.

The belt consists of four valleys - the Phoenix Mountain Innovation & Education Valley, Darenhe CBD Valley, Wenquanhe Residence and Resort Valley, and Gaoyuhe Scientific Tourism Valley, each of which will be managed independently, although the links between them are expected to be very strong.

According to the plan, the core area will begin to take shape in 2015 and it is due to blossom into an international marine scientific education center and become a driving force of Shandong peninsula's blue economic zone in 2020.

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(China Daily 07/31/2012 page24)