Crane unloads cargo from a ship at the Chu Lai-Truong Hai port of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone. (Photo: VNS)Quang Nam (VNA) - The Chu Lai Open Economic Zone attracted 23projects in 2017. Three were foreign investment projects worth 16 millionUSD.
Total investment of 1.4 billion USD was made during the year, 13.5 times asmuch as the year before.
Director of the Economic Zone Authority (EZA) Do Xuan Dien said this was thebiggest growth in investment since the economic zone opened in 2003.
He said business promotion forums were held in the province, HCM City, Macau-Chinaand this year’s APEC meeting in Quang Nam.
Dien said infrastructure and administrative reforms had been promoted to smooththe way for investors.
He said the zone had attracted 138 projects, of which 34 were FDI projectsworth 1 billion USD involving total investment of 3.68 billion since 2003.
Eighty-eight projects worth more than 1.3 billion USD, are in operation,including 24 FDI projects worth 227 million USD.
At an investment promotion conference in June, the province presentedinvestment licences to 32 projects with a total registered capital of 15.8billion USD. The biggest licence was a 10 billion USD framework agreementsigned between Exxon Mobil and the State oil and gas giant PetroVietnam todevelop a power plant using natural gas from the Blue Whale field off the coastof Quang Nam.
A series of huge tourism property projects also began construction in 2017,including Vinpearl South Hoi An worth 213 million USD; An Thinh resort complex(191 million USD); beach resort Opal Ocean View (205 million USD); Binh Duongresort complex (206 million USD) and an infrastructure project at Tam ThangIndustrial Park (220 million USD).
Last year, Japan’s Mazda Motor Corporation, in cooperation with local Truong HaiAutomobile Joint-Stock Company (Thaco), started construction of a new Mazdaplant at a total investment of 380 million USD.
The 32,400ha zone has invested $39 million to dredge the main ports of Tam Hiepand Ky Ha for ships with a capacity of 10,000 DWT (deadweight tonnage) and20,000 DWT.
Direct sea routes were launched from Chu Lai to Incheon in Korea, and Fangchengin China for hosting textiles, automobiles, logistics experts, exports andinvestment flows from the Republic of Korea and Japan.
According to Nguyen Hong Quang, head of the provincial secretariat, the budgetcarrier VietJetAir and US partner Parsons Brinckerhoff have proposed a masterplan for development of Chu Lai airport as an international airport in 2020-25.
It will host 2.3 million passengers and handle 1.5 million tonnes of cargo peryear.-VNA
VNA
