Hebei - China

Hebei province, located in the north of China, is a region of increasing importance. Though traditionally an agricultural region, Hebei now features numerous important sea ports and a growing high-tech industry. The name Hebei means "north of the (Yellow) River".

Hebei Province is located in the north east of China. It completely surrounds the Beijing and Tianjin municipalities. The province is about twice the size of Portugal and is densely populated. The current population is about 68 million. Hebei features a coastline of approximately 500 kilometers. The capital of Hebei is Shijiazhuang. Click here for an overview of Hebei's important cities.

GDP

The gross domestic product of Hebei was 1.16 trillion renminbi in 2006. This represented an increase of 12.9% over the previous year and ranked 6th in China. The overall GDP per capita was 16,570 renminbi (EUR 1650,-), while rural income per capita was 3,171 RMB (EUR 300,-).

Investment in Hebei

Hebei Province is rich in natural resources. It has 151 varieties of minerals within its boundaries. Deposits of 52 varieties rank in the top ten in China. Well-known mining areas are Kailuan Coal Field, Fengfeng Coal Field and North China Oilfield.

Hebei is mountainous in the north and the west, where rich iron and coal deposits are extensively mined. The province also has extensive deposits of oil and natural gas

There are several Economic and Technological Development Zones in Hebei: hebei map

Baoding Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone: the zone has become a focus for foreign investment and high technology industrialization.

Shijiazhuang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone: this zone features several hi tech industries, such as electronic communications, pharmaceuticals and chemical production.

Qinhuangdao Economic & Technological Development Zone: this development zone consists of four different parks: Qinhuangdao Export Processing Zone, Yanshan University Science Park, Hebei Software Industrial Base (Qinhuangdao) and the High-Tech Innovation Service Center.

Besides these, other important development zones are the Langfang Economic and Technological Development Zone, the Tangshan Economic and Technical Development Zone, the Yanjiao Economic and Technical Development Zone and the Tangshan Seaport Development Zone.

Steel Industry

China's steel industry will continue to see an increasing amount of consolidation in 2009.

In March 2008 Shandong Jigang and Langang merged into Shandong Steel Group and in June, Tangsteel and Handan Steel, both in northern China's Hebei province, merged into Hebei Steel Group, with support from the provincial government of Hebei.

In December 2008, 27 steelmaking and mining companies in Tangshan, Hebei province, established Tangshan Great Wall Steel and another 12 formed Tangshan Bohai Steel, in China's biggest restructuring of privately owned steel businesses to date.

Heavy industry (mainly metallurgical, iron and steel, machinery, and textile) is concentrated in and around Beijing, Tianjin, and Tangshan. Many light manufactures, such as ceramics, paper, and processed foods, are also produced in the province. With many good roads and railroad systems centering on Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang, and with the Grand Canal and other excellent waterways, Hebei has one of the best communications systems in China.