To boost the local economy and promote urbanization, the government of Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, plans to build a new urban area in the city called the Haidong New District.

Occupying about 220 square kilometers of land and sea, Haidong will act as an important gateway for international cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and as a focal point for the development of urban economy, said Luo Xiping, deputy mayor of Zhanjiang.

He said the district is expected to be home to such strategic, emerging industries as marine biomedicine, new materials and electronic information. Modern services, creative industries and tourism are also in the blueprint that the local government has mapped out for the district.