Embedded like a brilliant pearl in the Red Soil Plateau, Dianchi Lake shines through four seasons of evergreen and endless blooms. Along its banks, the vibrant and promising land of the Dian Zhong New Area is painting a magnificent picture of development.

Dian Zhong Business Plaza. Photo by Cao Yu

Historical coordinates always mark the direction of an era; a decade of transformation is enough to write an extraordinary chapter. On September 7, 2015, with the approval of the State Council, the Dian Zhong New Area officially became the 15th national-level new area in China. From that moment on, it shouldered the historic mission of “building an important pivot/bridgehead for China’s hub towards South and Southeast Asia, a significant growth pole for high-quality development in Yunnan, a comprehensive experimental zone for new urbanization in the western region, and a pioneering area for reform and innovation.”

Dian Zhong New Area Airport Culture Square. Photo by Zhu Hanyu

Anchoring industrial upgrading

Building a solid foundation for high-quality development

Caiyun shield machine. Photo by Kunming Daily

Over the past decade of determined effort and robust growth, the Dian Zhong New Area has deeply implemented the “industrial strength-driven zone” strategy, successfully attracting 1,029 industrial projects with a total investment of 1.2 trillion yuan. Among these, 17 are Fortune Global 500 companies and 23 are ranked among China's top 500 enterprises.

Under the cover of night, PetroChina Yunnan Branch. Photo provided by Anning City

With a strong entrepreneurial spirit, the Dian Zhong New Area has always been pushing forward the development of industries with an enterprising attitude and high spirits. In the upgrading of resource-based industries, the new district promotes the transformation of traditional industries such as non-ferrous metals and phosphorus chemicals towards high-end, intelligent, and green industries. It introduces and cultivates a group of leading enterprises in the industrial chain, achieving a leap from “raw material output” to “refined processing”, and truly transforming Yunnan’s resource advantages into economic advantages.

In terms of the layout of emerging industries, the new district focuses on fields such as new energy batteries, electronic information, biomedicine, new materials, and aviation industries, and has implemented a number of major projects with investments exceeding 10 billion yuan, forming a development pattern characterized by “leadership from major players and symbiotic development across industrial chains and clusters.” A picture of the revitalization of traditional industries and the flourishing of emerging industries is slowly unfolding on the land of central Yunnan.

Dian Zhong New Area Airport Industrial Park. Photo by Zhoufan

The Huanyu Intelligent Technology project completed the entire process from land acquisition to factory construction and operational launch in just 84 days, while the Xiandao New Materials project achieved trial production a mere 50 days after overall structural completion...

The “New Area Speed” in attracting investment and building projects is made possible by its first-class business environment. Through dedicated and sincere services under the “Dian Zhong Service” initiative, the area has fostered an atmosphere of trust, ease, and reassurance for businesses. In 2024, the total number of market entities in the Central Yunnan New Area reached nearly 140,000, an increase of 8.4% year-on-year.

Ten years of determined advancement have seen projects sprout and thrive one after another, while economic indicators have consistently climbed upward. Over the past decade, the regional GDP of the Dian Zhong New Area has steadily risen, growing from 52.2 billion yuan at its establishment to 117.12 billion yuan, rising to 13th in rank among China's national-level new areas.

Facilitating Open Channels
Building a Core Area for the Hub (towards South and Southeast Asia)

Morning Light at Changshui Airport, Photo by Li Xingfu

Fresh durians arrive from Thailand, while wild mushrooms from Yunnan make their way out; Chinese tourists head south for warmer climates abroad, and international visitors come north for snowy adventures... As the main front of Yunnan’s opening-up, the New Area continues to enhance connectivity through land, air, and cyberspace, transforming the province from an inland region into a forward position and a border area into a pivotal hub.

Currently, Kunming Changshui International Airport handles takeoffs or landings every two minutes, while the construction site for its second-phase expansion project is in full swing. The breakthrough of the Changshui Airport Tunnel on the Chongqing-Kunming High-Speed Railway has accelerated progress toward the line’s full opening. Meanwhile, the Anning Taohua Village Freight Station International Land Port has achieved seamless integration with the China-Laos Railway, further speeding up the Dian Zhong New Area’s domestic and international connectivity. Over the past decade, the area has invested a total of 135.9 billion yuan in comprehensive transportation infrastructure.    

On land, the Dian Zhong New Area is linked with Kunming International Land Port to increase the frequency of China Laos Railway and China Vietnam Railway, so as to realize land connection with major cities in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Goods can reach Haiphong Port in Vietnam, Vientiane in Laos and other nodes by railway, and then radiate to surrounding countries. By relying on Kunming Changshui International Airport, Dian Zhong New Area has built an air logistics hub and opened multiple international cargo routes to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, and other destinations, creating a fast track for the “Air Silk Road”. High-end goods such as fresh produce and electronic products can be delivered on the same day. In 2024, the passenger throughput of Kunming Airport will reach 47 million, with 26 passenger destinations in South and Southeast Asia, ranking first in the country.

Spanning mountains and seas, partnerships are being forged and collaboration strengthened. In recent years, the Dian Zhong New Area has actively explored new pathways for international cooperation, enhanced its capacity for open and radiating development, and supported Kunming’s goal of becoming a regional international central city. It is fully committed to building itself into a “growth pole” that enables major development. Today, a growing number of foreign enterprises are choosing to establish a presence in the New Area, while more and more “Made in Yunnan” products are reaching South and Southeast Asian markets through its channels. Openness has become the most distinctive hallmark of the Dian Zhong New Area.

Looking forward to a new journey

Continuing to write a new chapter of leapfrog development

The Diaznhong New Area under Construction (Photo by Zhang Xuefu)

Ten years of hard work have yielded fruitful results. Now, standing at a new starting point, the area shoulders a renewed mission. Currently, Yunnan is accelerating the construction of a radiation center for South Asia and Southeast Asia, and the Dian Zhong New Area, as the core area, has ushered in unprecedented development opportunities.

Urban Night Scene. Photo by photo provided by Songming County

In the new journey, the Dian Zhong New Area will anchor its goals and continue to strive, comprehensively accelerate the practice of the Chinese Path to Modernization in the new area, and achieve the goal of advancing ahead and catching up on the national level new area development track.

It will steadily promote industrial development, striving to “make progress despite challenges, achieve concrete results through hard work, and maintain stability while advancing”, further strengthen the empowerment of scientific and technological innovation, promote the cluster development of emerging industries such as new energy, new materials, and biomedicine, orderly undertake the gradient transfer of industries from the east, and fill the gaps in the industrial chain.

Comprehensive Bonded Zone. Photo by Kunming Daily

Adhering to open leadership in forging a new pattern of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, we will continue to deepen economic and trade collaboration with South and Southeast Asian nations, accelerate the development of international logistics hubs and digital trade platforms, and enhance our capacity for radiating influence and driving regional growth.

Adhering to people-oriented principles and high standards, it will promote the integration of industry and city, we will create a modern new city with beautiful ecology, complete functions, and vibrant vitality, and build a green, intelligent, livable, and business friendly new area that everyone longs for... Step by step, turn the beautiful blueprint into reality.

With ten years of flourishing vitality, the future is full of promise and anticipation.