Ningde: Land Of Opportunities

T here are vast opportunities for different sectors in the Chinese city of Ningde, lo­ cated in the northeast of Fujian Province. The city is poetically referred to as a “blessed land” with Chinese explaining that this is be­ cause of its rich natural harmony between mountains and sea, ex­ ceptional ecological wellness, and deep spiritual and cultural heritage. Its land area is 13,400 km2 and it has a population of 3.52 million. President Xi Jinping worked and lived in the city with many of his strategic ideas on national gover­ nance said to have begun taking shape and being put into practice in Ningde. The city is called the “li­ thium battery capital.” The value of its new energy and lithium battery industry has surpassed 300 billion yuan. Its share of the global market for electric vehicle batteries and energy storage batteries is about a third of the world market, holding the top spot worldwide for nine years in a row. Ningde has thus been awarded the title of “China's New Energy Battery Capital.” With regards to new energy and ad­ vanced manufacturing, the city hosts global engineering giants, most no­ tably automotive lithium-ion battery maker CATL, making it a primary over-all canter for clean energy sto­ rage and electric vehicle supply chains. It has several industrial clus­ ters and focuses on highly comple­ mentary pillars: lithium-ion batteries, new-energy vehicles, novel stainless steel, and copper production...