The Qingpu District government is planning to develop the Qingpu Industrial Zone, which is home to several rivers and creeks, into the most beautiful of Shanghai's nine city-level industrial zones.

Ten percent of the 56.2-square-kilometer zone will be covered by water, thanks to the natural environment of the water town, with trees and flowers covering another 30 percent when the zone is completed in 2010, officials said.

A round artificial peninsula will be built in the southwest section of the zone, where a service center, a hotel, villas and several research and development centers will be located.

Officials say they hope the zone will stand out so much that people who enter it will feel as if they are in a foreign country.

So far, the zone, which was set up in 1995, has attracted more than 200 overseas enterprises with a total foreign investment of US$3.73 billion. In the first quarter of this year, an average of US$5 million of foreign capital was invested in the zone every day.

The zone is expected to achieve an industrial output value of 60 billion yuan (US$7.2 billion) in 2007, which is 11 times last year's number.

"As the municipal government is trying to build the city into a world manufacturing base, the zone, together with two other counterparts in Songjiang and Jiading districts, was appointed as a pilot zone to lower business costs," said Wang Jifeng, deputy general manager of Shanghai Qingpu Industrial Zone Group Co Ltd.

"Our targets are projects from Japan, Europe and the United States with high technology, high investment, high output value but low pollution."

Four industries, including textiles and new textile materials, information technology, precision machinery manufacturing and biomedicine, have been set as the zone's pillar industries.

"To be frank, we don't have much difficulty in attracting investors because China is one of the fastest developing countries in the world," said a manager surnamed Xu. "The only difficulty we may face is the general situation of the world economy, such as the appreciation and depreciation of the renminbi."

By 2005, the zone will be connected to five expressways and a rail transportation line, making it very easy to get to and from.

The district government has promised that those investing in the zone will enjoy the most convenient service possible.

In addition to the one-stop service ranging from policy consultation and business registration provided by the zone's management company, the government also set up a green channel in the district service center, where projects in the zone can obtain priority in applying for administrative approval.

Approval will take 30 percent less time than it would for common projects.

"There's no problem for us to provide good service," Wang said. "In the next step, we will take more efforts to help establish an industry chain for large investors and attract more talented people."