Industrialization, eco-friendliness and digitalization processes highlighted

Zhanjiang-based Zhongke (Guangdong) Refinery and Petrochemical reported an output value of 80.6 billion yuan ($12.8 billion) in 2021, bringing the total output value of the local green petrochemical industrial cluster to over 100 billion yuan－the first industrial cluster in the city to reach the milestone.

Zhanjiang, a port city in the southern province of Guangdong, boasts the Donghai Island Petrochemical Industrial Park and major players in the petrochemical sector including China National Offshore Oil Corporation and the BASF Group.

As a core area for the petrochemical industry, as highlighted in Guangdong's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), Zhanjiang has been working to perfect its petrochemical industrial chain.

This year, Zhanjiang will put in place a new mechanism for managing industrial chains and clusters. Known as the "chain chief system", the new mechanism is expected to help complete, extend and strengthen industrial chains and advance the development of sectors along the chain.

In recent years, Zhanjiang has been ramping up efforts to build a modern industrial system. It is currently home to four industrial projects involving an investment of over $10 billion each. A slew of Fortune 500 companies, such as Dow and Air Liquide, have set up operations in the city.

"Zhanjiang is making every effort to grow into a provincial subcenter and has expedited the building of a modern coastal economic belt," Liu Hongbing, Party secretary of Zhanjiang, told local media.

"Based on Zhanjiang's actualities, we have put forward the concept of a deep integration of the city's industrialization, ecological development and digitalization processes," Liu said.