Investment and technology promotion initiated very positive developments for cities

Hunchun, a new regional hub between China, DPRK and Russia

Twenty years ago, Hunchun was a small town with just a few thousand inhabitants. Its unique location at the crossroads of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Russia was always a promise of better days to come, ideally as a regional hub for Northeast Asian. Today, Hunchun is a vibrant city, home to over 250,000 persons.

A witness of Hunchun’s rapid development is Cui Jun, Deputy Director-General of the Bureau of Commerce, Government of the Jilin province. While Hunchun clearly benefited from the Central Government’s supportive policies, its fast-paced transformation can also be attributed to the support of the international community, including UNDP and UNIDO. Mr. Cui recalls that much impetus stemmed from UNIDO’s Tumen River Area Development Project (TRADP), which was launched in 1991. Within this cooperation, major investment promotion fairs were organized, which attracted hundreds of businessmen and investors from China and abroad. These first investment and technology promotion activities confirmed Hunchun’s economic potential, and furthered its emergence as a regional nod.

The Central Government further supported the city’s exponential growth through the establishment and subsequent operationalization of the Hunchun Border Economic Cooperation Zone (HBECZ), which allows for Chinese, Koreans and Russians to trade more freely. UNIDO additionally contributed to the city’s economic boom by providing its technical support in the establishment of clusters in dedicated industrial parks, which specialized in energy and minerals, emerging electronic industry, wood products processing, textile and apparel, new building material, food processing, and biopharmaceutical industry.

Thereafter, and to further strengthen regional cooperation, the government of Jilin province opened dedicated industrial parks for Japanese entrepreneurs as well as for business partners from the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, and Russia. The parks additionally complement the portfolio of activities fostered in the city to include high and advanced technology, energy and mineral development, science and technology innovation, automobile spare part manufacturing, biological pharmacy, fine processing of woodwork, high-end textile and knitted fabrics, and business and trade logistics.

When talking about the future, Mr. Cui is very confident. He has visions of Hunchun as the 21st century’s business hub between the Pacific Rim and Eurasia. And he is also counting on the continued support of the international community, including UNIDO, so that Hunchun can always live up to the motto “better city, better life,” which is the main theme of Shanghai Expo 2010.

For more information, please contact the UNIDO China Office.  

or UNIDO Asia Programme

Official website of Shanghai Expo 2010

Official website of UN Pavilion