Lin Pan, Deputy Director of the Research Division of Shanghai Academy, said in an interview with Xinmin Evening News that “the 1stChina International Import Expo (CIIE) is a development opportunity for Shanghai Hongqiao Business District.” Hongqiao Business District will make "6 days + 365 days" transaction demonstration platform construction a long-term strategy, and will focus on the three major themes of CIIE, namely, promoting national trade and investment, promoting a high-level opening up, and promoting interconnectivity of countries along the “Belt and Road”, so as to create a world-class industrial and urban integration business district serving the Yangtze River Delta region, the Yangtze River economic belt, and the entire nation.
Lin Pan proposed that to build and develop Great Hongqiao, an all-round upgrade must be made by taking the opportunity presented by the CIIE. First of all, Hongqiao’s conference & exhibition function must be further strengthened to become "the city ofconference &exhibitions". Centering on the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), several permanent exhibition halls will be built to hold various perennial comprehensive or professional exhibitions. In addition to new domestic products and high technologies, representative international major exhibition activities must also be introduced. At the same time, supporting service facilities should be improved by means of various exhibition activities. It is suggested that a press center and business center be set up around the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), and that services such as logistics, customs declaration and inspection, and exhibition intermediaries and other services should be provided, so as to improve the overall quality of "Shanghai service". Second, the agglomeration effect formed by CIIE will be utilized to attract various subjects to gather in Great Hongqiao, particularly the headquarters of various multinational companies, the headquarters of domestic enterprises, world-renowned purchasers, high-tech manufacturers, and headquarters and branches of well-known domestic and foreign financial institutions. Global or regional headquarters should be established in Hongqiao Business District to strengthen the headquarters economy. Besides, efforts must also be made to attract various intermediary agencies and international organizations, such as international and domestic trade promotion agencies, international and domestic trade association organizations, various well-known chambers of commerce, and professional service organizations, and they should be encouraged to set up regional centers or offices in Hongqiao.
According to Lin Pan, to build and develop Great Hongqiao, talents must be attracted to Hongqiao Business District to improve the environment of scientific innovation. A relaxed policy environment must be created for talent flow, and a talent flow mechanism based on market regulation must be gradually set up. It is suggested to take Hongqiao Business District as an international talent test area, explore policies in social insurance linkage, mutual identification of professional skills and sharing of scientific research resources, and build a development environment suitable for talent flow. Furthermore, efforts should be made to create a free, relaxed and open science and innovation environment. Based on Hongqiao Business District, it is suggested that science and technology be integrated with human resources of CIIE, and that talents and scientific and technological resources of universities in Shanghai and surrounding cities and research institutions also be integrated, in order to create a gathering place of scientific and technological innovation.
“To build and develop Great Hongqiao, the integrated construction of the Yangtze River Delta region should be promoted with Hongqiao Business District at the center,” Lin Pan said, efforts must be made to break administrative barriers as far as possible and guarantee that the free flow of safeguard elements will play a role in the market and promote the accumulation of capital, technology and talents. Next, cooperation modes must be innovated to expand spatial spillover of Great Hongqiao to the Yangtze River Delta region; for example, the "enclave mode". Drawing from the experience of Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park and Caohejing Development Zone, the management committee of Hongqiao Business District can establish enclaves in other development zones, so as to transfer some enterprises or relevant businesses and introduce relevant enterprises and business departments from other provinces and cities.
