In the past few years, the city of Zhanjiang has invested 3.46 billion yuan ($494.29 million) in building a number of infrastructure projects on Donghai Island.

Covering nearly 500 square kilometers, Donghai is the fifth-largest island in China. It is home to gigantic projects such as Zhongke (Guangdong) Refinery and Petrochemical, Baosteel Zhanjiang and BASF's smart Verbund petrochemical facility.

Donghai Island is set to become a major manufacturing base for steel, petrochemicals and paper in Guangdong－and even in China.

In addition to the construction or expansion of docks, highways, railways, bridges and a port administration center on the island, a water plant with a daily supply of 150,000 cubic meters and a 220-kilovolt substation have been built.

There is also a 220-kV power accessing project to serve the Zhongke Refinery and Petrochemical project.

The infrastructure investments have contributed much to the scheduled operation of the Zhongke project and BASF petrochemical project under construction, as well as the Baosteel project already operational.

The city will continue its investment in infrastructure on the island, including the 47-km Donghai Island-Leizhou Expressway, the first expressway on the island, and other modern traffic facilities.

For the Zhongke project alone, senior officials of the Zhanjiang Economic and Technological Development Zone, which is responsible for Donghai Island's development, held dozens of meetings with the senior executives of Zhongke. These helped the company solve major problems that might have sidetracked the project's development.

The initiatives are typical of the city's attempts to help investors as authorities have attached great importance to improving the business environment in recent years.

Among its latest moves, the city government of Zhanjiang introduced a series of policies in November to further streamline administrative procedures, optimize the land supply system, hammer out incentives to help small and micro businesses overcome financing difficulties, alleviate economic burdens and encourage innovation among private enterprises.

A total of 48,500 new businesses were established in 2019, making the city's total number to 293,700, a year-on-year increase of 9.31 percent, official statistics show.

The city's measures to help local businesses resume production after the COVID-19 outbreak have also received positive responses from the local business community.

"With continual improvement of the transport network, business environment and optimization of the industrial structure, the economy will become more dynamic in Zhanjiang," said Chen Hongwen, an associate professor and director of the economic teaching and research office at Zhanjiang Party School.

By deepening reform, opening-up more to the world and constantly improving the business environment, Zhanjiang will develop into Guangdong's subcenter in the near future, Chen noted.