Productive service industries serve as an important boost for advancing industrial restructuring and optimizing upgrades. Recently, the Development and Reform Bureau of Dongguan Municipality announced the key development and reform work of the city in 2023. Dongcheng Subdistrict was awarded the title of “Advanced Town (Subdistrict/Park) for Stabilizing Growth in the Service Industry”.
In 2023, Dongcheng Subdistrict had 238 service enterprises above designated size, with 46 companies achieving annual revenues exceeding 100 million yuan. The total annual revenue reached about 31 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.16%. These enterprises span across various sectors including finance, cross-border e-commerce, and digital industries. What has Dongcheng done to promote the upgrading of the service industry? And in which aspects will it focus its efforts this year?
01
Simultaneous improvement in quantity and quality of productive service industries
After the end of the Spring Festival holiday, the Dongguan Cross-border Trade E-commerce Center Park (hereinafter referred to as the “Cross-border E-commerce Park”) located in Tongsha Science and Technology Industrial Park in Dongcheng, presents a bustling scene—where over 260,000 cross-border e-commerce products are sorted, transferred, and inspected orderly every day, and then cleared for export to various countries and regions around the world.
Building on the Dongguan Cross-border Trade E-commerce Center Park, Dongcheng promotes the implementation of the country’s first pilot project for embedded supervision reform in cross-border e-commerce exports. In 2023, the total export value of cross-border e-commerce exceeded 12 billion yuan for the first time.
The thriving scene of the Cross-border E-commerce Park is a microcosm of the high-level integration and interaction between manufacturing and service industries in Dongcheng. In recent years, Dongcheng Subdistrict has vigorously promoted the high-quality development of productive service industries, accelerated the construction of a modern industrial system, and demonstrated a strong determination and clear attitude to support the development of productive service industries and manufacturing.
In 2023, the number of service enterprises above designated size in Dongcheng Subdistrict reached 238. Among the 16 major categories of city-level service industries above designated size, 13 industries achieved positive growth in business revenue. Among them, industries such as transportation, warehousing, and postal services, education, multimodal transport, and transportation agency services all maintained growth rates of more than 10 percentage points. There is not only growth in “quantity” but also improvement in “quality”. Currently, the pace of extension of productive service industries towards specialization and high-end value chain in Dongcheng is accelerating, and the trend of deep integration between service and manufacturing industries is becoming increasingly apparent.
At the end of last year, two companies located in Dongcheng, HCP Technology and Hsu Fu Chi, were selected as smart factories in Dongguan, empowering high-quality development of the real economy through digitalization. Among them, Hsu Fu Chi invested 120 million yuan in the construction of a new juice gummy workshop, which has now commenced production. After the new production line was put into operation, productivity increased by 150% compared to the old production line, energy consumption decreased by 25%, effectively meeting the continuously changing market demands.
The high-quality development of the service industry relies heavily on robust support from platform carriers. Dongcheng has proposed that, with expanding space as the primary task, it aims to establish three or more specialized parks by 2025, enable over 500 enterprises with digital capabilities, construct more than five exemplary “beacon factories”, list more than 10 companies, and create a batch of innovative communities and industrial districts for future-oriented industries. This initiative aims to build a new ecosystem of high-end urban culture where industry, city, and people coexist harmoniously.
The “weight” of manufacturing and the “lightness” of services are accelerating their integration within Dongcheng Subdistrict. Dongcheng is actively gathering high-end service industries such as logistics, finance, creative design, and information technology services.
02
Building a cluster zone for productive service industries throughout the city
Not long ago, Dongguan issued Document No. 1 of the Municipal Government for the year 2024, titled “Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Advancement of New Industrialization and Building a Strong City of International Scientific and Technological Innovation Manufacturing”. As part of the supporting policies, the “Top Ten Measures for Supporting the Development of Productive Service Industry” propose specific actions to accelerate the high-quality development of Dongguan's productive service industry, and to promote the deep integration of productive service industry with advanced manufacturing industry. In 2024, Dongcheng Subdistrict will continue to prioritize the productive service industry. Dongcheng Subdistrict proposes to adhere to the goals of optimization and upgrading, innovation-driven development, intensive agglomeration, and diversified development. With the “four grasps and four promotions” as an important means, efforts will be made to enhance the capacity of the service industry. Focusing on ten key areas such as financial services, scientific research and development, and business exhibitions, Dongcheng will prioritize the implementation of ten special actions including the construction of core agglomeration areas, the aggregation of headquarters and leading enterprises. It will establish a batch of prominent public service platforms, nurture industry-leading enterprises, create high-level productive service industry agglomeration demonstration zones, implement key projects, and comprehensively promote the high-quality development of the productive service industry.
Dongcheng Subdistrict will accelerate the creation of a “city-wide cluster zone for productive service industries” and plans to introduce support measures to promote the development of agglomeration in productive service industries. It will fully support the creation of a batch of cluster zones for productive service industries with rational spatial layout, distinct industrial characteristics, complete supporting functions, and strong overall competitiveness. At the same time, efforts will be made to strengthen communication and cooperation with the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and carry out mutual promotion and construction. Plans are in place to introduce the Hong Kong Q Mark certification to settle in Dongcheng, which will drive the accelerated development of industries such as finance, scientific research, and information technology. This will add momentum to the transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing industries across the entire subdistrict and foster the development of new productive forces. Focusing on key areas of productive service industries, emphasis is placed on both nurturing and enhancing the existing capacity levels locally. Priority is given to “National Little Giant” companies such as Seer Big Data, Huihang Techn, Xonao Industry, and Garmin, as well as provincial-level specialized and innovative enterprises, for pilot projects. This is part of the implementation of the “multiplication” program for the productive service industry.
Efforts are also made to accelerate the comprehensive application of digital technology in the field of productive service industries and promote the coordinated development of digital industrialization and industrial digitalization. Centered around key industries such as electronic information, high-end equipment, and food and beverages, support is extended to enterprises in continuously increasing investment in automation, digitization, and intelligentization. People in charge of Dongcheng Subdistrict stated that in the next step, Dongcheng will actively respond to the call of the Municipal Party Committee and Government to vigorously develop the productive service industry. They will firmly grasp the opportunities for the development of the new round of productive service industries, accelerate the construction of agglomeration areas for productive service industries, and make every effort to ensure stable growth in the service industry in the new year.
