Dalian's high-tech industry is gathering steam, reaching an annual production of 650 million yuan ($104 billion). Output from emerging industries has exceeded 10 billion yuan, and output from the service industry will reach 286 billion yuan this year.

In the last five years, the Dalian government has strategically restructured and updated industries. The efforts are creating a strong momentum for the city, especially in emerging industries such as energy conservation, environmental protection, biomedicine, software outsourcing and new materials.

As an example, Huayuankou Economic Zone is facing a promising future in the bio and new material industry. It has negotiated more than 60 bio-industry projects, among which 14 have been contracted. Seven major projects with an investment of 5.55 billion yuan are under construction. In addition, the economic zone will produce 20 billion yuan in output in these emerging industries by the end of 2012. By the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan, output from Huayuankou Economic Zone will surge to 100 billion yuan.

Additionally, the enterprises in Dalian have enhanced their innovation ability. During 2011, enterprises (with main business income of more than 20 million yuan) applied for 1,977 patents, 7.8 times the number in 2006. Total granted patents in Dalian exceeded 30,000, doubling the figure recorded five years ago. Enterprises operating heavy industry and machine tools have also advanced their technologies.

Dalian has made progress in energy conservation and emission reduction. It has reduced comprehensive energy consumption by 19 percent, industrial waste water discharge by 73 percent, chemical oxygen demand (DOD) by 82 percent and sulfur dioxide emissions by 60 percent per unit of GDP.

The service industry in Dalian has also developed rapidly thanks to an added-value of 255 billion yuan last year. This number will rise to 286 billion yuan this year, 2.12 times the figure in 2007 and an annual increase of 15 percent.