Construction sped up on China's 1st 'aerotropolis'
Updated: 2014-08-28 16:23
By Lu Hongyan and Ma Lie in Xi’an(Chinadaily.com.cn)
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Wang Xuedong, director of the Airport New City management committee, said at an International Airport City Construction and Development Seminar held on Thursday in Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province, that construction is being sped up in order to play a more important role in the development of the Silk Road economic belt, the strategic vision proposed by President Xi Jinping in September 2013, for economic development and cooperation between China and countries in Central Asia and Europe.
"Building a globally oriented international airport city has become the new strategic focus of many Chinese cities to actively serve the national strategy and achieve their innovation and development," said the director.
The airport new city in Xixian New Area, one of seven national new areas approved by the State Council, has achieved great progress in its construction around the existing Xi’an Xianyang International Airport, China’s eigth-largest airport and largest air traffic hub in the northwestern region, Wang said.
In May, the airport new city was approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China as the first national aerotropolis experimental zone in China.
An aerotropolis is a planned city built around an airport, rather than the airport being on the fringes of the city as was traditionally the case.
Wang said the airport new city has been under construction for three years and attracted 45 projects with investments of 70 billion yuan ($11.39 billion) for aviation industry development in the city, forming industrial clusters of aviation logistics, aviation services and manufacturing and aviation trading.
In addition, 66 projects for urban infrastructure are also under construction and 30 billion yuan has been invested for fixed assets, with six projects completed. These are an airport transportation hub, a new cargo area, an international cargo terminal, a business center, a business station and a heritage park, which are all in operation, Wang said.
The director said the airport new city is scheduled to be completed in 2015 and will become the international gateway for regional opening along the Silk Road economic belt.
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