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TRIPS to stars, moon visits, aliens and 3-D are often winning elements in movies, as "Avatar" has demonstrated. Now a Chinese start-up firm in Qingdao has produced 3-D titles, such as "Alien Zoo" and "Back to the Moon." The company, Animell Digital International Co, has produced several 3-D cartoon titles and distributed them in the West and domestic markets. "Our latest expansion plans call for new organizations to train our own animation professionals and voice actors," says Zhou Yuan, deputy manager of the company in the east coastal city. "That will help improve product quality, save costs and also be in line with international business models." Animell's development is just the latest example in Qingdao's ambition to build itself into an innovation city. Besides traditional home appliance giants Haier Group and Hisense Corp, many young firms, with various innovative ideas, have chosen Qingdao to develop business and seek opportunities. The city has instituted policy incentives to encourage high-tech, low-polluting and low energy-consuming enterprises to move to Qingdao. The city offers a projected 63-square-kilometer area to accommodate innovative development, pioneering technology, energy-efficient infrastructure and investment-friendly policies, according to Zhao Shiyu, deputy director-general of the Qingdao High-tech Industrial Development Zone Administrative Committee. Other projects include a LED chipset manufacturing facility and a telecommunications antenna factory. The LED (light emitting diode) project, which cost 400 million yuan (US$58.8 million), may upgrade production line technology this year. It makes sapphire chipsets, a key component used in energy-efficient solid lighting, according to Istarwafer Technology Co Ltd. Fang Yongqiang, general manager of the Qingdao Utone Communication Equipment Co, says the antenna manufacturing company will start production by the end of this month, with an initial investment of 300 million yuan. "There is still space in the market if products are innovative," says Fang. Utone Communication's products feature a wider angle for receiving signals compared with rivals, Fang adds. Haier and Hisense, with a long history in Qingdao, have also invested heavily to develop innovative products. The firms have both launched Internet TVs, which feature more interactive functions. Meanwhile, they plan to launch TVs that support 3-D display in the second quarter. Meanwhile, overseas players like Sony and Samsung have kicked off 3-D TV in the overseas markets. "Though it's a new concept product in China, it will become popular one day," says a Hisense official during a recent display show in Shanghai. "That was what happened with LCD TV." Concerning the animation firm Animell, it has formed an integrative animation industry structure, including creative design, cartoon image authorization, media integration, derivatives development, service outsourcing, marketing operations and animation education. "We started business through outsourcing orders," says Zhou. "Now we aim to export self-innovation products and Chinese culture to the global market." Q & A on policies and incentives An interview with Zhao Shiyu, deputy director-general of the Qingdao High-tech Industrial Development Zone Administrative Committee. Q: What are Qingdao's core development industries? A: Seven core industries are expected to develop in the zone, including electronic information, marine science and technology, medicine and biotechnology, advanced equipment manufacturing, modern services, new materials and new energy, and energy efficiency. Q: What's the zone's target? A: By the end of March, it attracted 7.3 billion yuan contracted investment. By 2012, it's expected to attract 50 high-tech projects with employee levels of 20,000 to 30,000. The high-tech output will reach 220 billion yuan, which will account for 20 percent of the city's GDP. At the same time, the zone will be designed in an environmentally friendly and modern style. All utilities will be underground. No sewer covers can be seen on the roads and no electricity wires can be seen in the sky. Q: What are the special policies? A: Preferential policies include tax incentives, subsidy support and finance support. For example, certificated high-tech enterprises in the zone can benefit from an income tax rate of 15 percent. Integrated circuit manufacturing enterprises with investment of more than 8 billion yuan or manufacturing integrated circuit lines less than 0.25 microns wide can be taxed at a rate of 15 percent. The zone administration will cooperate with banks to issue combined bonds for small- and median sized enterprises, which will help ease the financial burden. Q: What are the zone requirements? A: We have a "three-nos" policy. We will reject firms that are not high-tech, that consume huge amounts of electricity, or that pollute. |
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