With this article I wanted to introduce one of the most beautiful and business friendly city Ningbo, Zhejiang. First time I come to Ningbo to take part in China CEEC International Expo in 2017. At that time, I could not imagine that in 2019 I would open a company and move to live in this city.
Before we look at the objective facts, I wanted to mention my personal subjective ones. Above all, the location, the climate (except in winter, because there is no heating and it is very humid). Next, a very green city with lots of parks, gardens and waters. Thirdly, the old town was built by European traders several centuries ago that’s reminds home in Riga, Latvia. The fourth factor, a modern city with a well-developed infrastructure, But this city is replete with history, exceptional architecture, beautiful temples, and both natural and artificial attractions. And fifth, great people. I hope that I will be able to return for a while in 2023.
Ningbo lies in the south of the Yangtze River Delta and faces the East China Sea to the east. It covers an area of 9,816 km2 and has a pop- ulation of 9.544 million. Converted at the pre- vailing average annual exchange rate, Ningbo’s GDP in 2021 reached US$224.54 billion, up by 8.2% over the previous year and ranking 12th among all Chinese cities. The per capita GDP stood at US$23,858 while the fisical revenue was US$50.22 billion. Nowadays, Ningbo has become an important foreign trade port in China, an eco- nomic center and an advanced manufacturing base in the south wing of the Yangtze River Delta.
Ningbo has been a major city with an open economy ever since it became one of the first coastal cities in China to open to the outside world. The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port is the world’s largest port in terms of cargo throughput. It handled 1.22 billion tons of cargo in 2021 with a total of 287 shipping routes including 134 ocean-going main routes to date. In September 2020, the Ningbo area of China (Zhejiang) Free Trade Zone was approved by the State Council, which means more policy advantages and development opportunities for foreign enterprises.
Ningbo has vigorously promoted reforms to create a stable, fair and transparent business environment. It continues to introduce preferential policies to encourage the development of key industries, attract talents, and provide superior public services, whose overall satisfaction is among the highest in the country. The city also continues to improve the intellectual property rights protection system, enhance law enforce- ment efforts to better protect the rights of enter- prises. Last year, Ningbo ranked 5th among the top in business environment satisfaction in the country.
www.ningbochina.com
