Ｎｉｎｇｄｅ’ｓ　Ｂｕｒｇｅｏｎｉｎｇ　Ｐｏｒｔ.docVIP

Ｎｉｎｇｄｅ’ｓ　Ｂｕｒｇｅｏｎｉｎｇ　Ｐｏｒｔ 　　NINGDE in Fujian Province is a burgeoning city lying on China’s southeast coast, built around Sandu’ao Port. As a key free-trade harbor approved by the State Council, Sandu’ao has given great impetus to the city’s development, and is playing a crucial role in the economic strategy of the area west of the Taiwan Strait. 　　 　　Unique Location 　　 　　A famous natural deep-water port, Sandu’ao was one of the earliest Chinese harbors opened to foreigners. The customs office set up in 1898 is still one of the three largest in Fujian Province. 　　 　　As a port facility, Sandu’ao has four key strengths. First is its size. The port covers an area of 714 square kilometers, and its main channel varies between 30 and 115 meters in depth. There are plans to build more than 150 berths of the 30,000-ton class or larger, including 61 berths between the 200,000-ton and 500,000-ton class. 　　Second, the port stands at the center of the Pacific Ocean’s western navigation lines, as well as lying in the center of China’s coastline. 　　Third, Sandu’ao has a pleasant environment with abundant resources, such as a beach, fresh water and electricity. The beach covers an area of 500,000 mu (1 mu=1/15 hectare); fresh water reserves stand at 15 billion cubic meters; and the generating capacities of the area’s hydro, thermal and nuclear power stations are expected to eventually exceed 12 million kW, facilitating the development of a large-scale heavy chemical industry in the coastal area. 　　Last but not least, Sandu’ao stands close to the Yangtze River Delta. Highways leading to Shenyang in the north and Haikou in the south are directly linked to the port. The Wenzhou-Fuzhou Railway is scheduled to be completed in 2009. More highways, including routes from Ningde to Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Liaoning, are under construction. Surrounded by this huge transportation network, Sandu’ao will become an ideal channel through which inland provinces like Jiangxi, Anhui and Hunan