The Development Plan for the Harbin Linkong Economic Zone (2019-2035) was recently approved by the Harbin Municipal People’s Government and is now being carried out. The development plan’s key points are as follows:

The Harbin Linkong Economic Zone is located about 30 kilometers southwest of downtown Harbin and neighbors the Harbin Taiping International Airport. It has a planned area of 170 square kilometers and comprises the Daoli district towns of Taiping, Xinnong, Xinfa, and Yushu, as well as part of Wujia town and Gongzheng county in Shuangcheng district.

1. Advantages

Location advantages

Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, China’s northernmost province, is located in the center of Northeast Asia and plays an important role in the opening-up of Northeast China. It is also central to cooperation between China and Russia.　

The Harbin Taiping International Airport was a key international airport included in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) and has ranked first in Northeast China for three consecutive years since 2016.

It is the nearest stopover point from China to North America, and is also the nearest international airport connecting Europe to Northeast China. It has great potential to develop into an international aviation hub connecting China to Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, the United States, and Europe.

The Harbin Linkong Economic Zone, which relies on the Harbin Taiping International Airport, is of great significance to promoting the development and opening-up of Harbin and Heilongjiang province.

Industry Foundation

Harbin, part of the old Northeast China industrial center, is still an important manufacturing base in China. In recent years, the city has been speeding up supply side structural reforms and boasts a diversified industrial base with equipment manufacturing, the deep-processing of agricultural products, biomedicine, culture, and tourism as its pillar industries. The government has also launched a series of policies to support the development of information technology, new materials, financing, and modern logistics.

Transportation System

Airlines
The Harbin Taiping International Airport is currently the second-largest airport in Northeast China, with a total of 47 airlines operating there. It is equipped to handle more than 20 million passengers annually, and offers 253 flights to 109 domestic and overseas cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changsha, Seoul, Osaka, Vladivostok, and Los Angeles.

Railways
Harbin is the second-largest railway junction in Northeast China. The city has four railway stations: Harbin Railway Station, Harbin West Railway Station, Harbin East Railway Station, and Harbin North Railway Station. The Harbin-Dalian, Harbin-Qiqihar, Harbin-Mudanjiang, and Harbin-Jiamusi high-speed railway routes have created a provincial high-speed railway network centered around Harbin.

Highways
Harbin has four national highways connecting with the rest of the country: 102, 202, 221, and 301.

Waterways
Harbin harbor is the largest inland harbor in Northeast China. It provides access to the Songhua, Heilong, Wusuli, and Nenjiang rivers, as well as to ports in Russia, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. The harbor serves both passenger and freight ships, though ships can only operate there from April to early November.

2.Strategic Goals

The Harbin Linkong Economic Zone aims to become an international aviation hub of Northeast China, a national demonstration zone for opening-up and international cooperation, a high-end industrial cluster of Northeast China, and a provincial-level innovation pilot zone for institutions and mechanisms.

The following are the zone’s specific strategic goals:

Strengthen status as international aviation hub;improve the comprehensive transportation hub centered on the airport; encourage airlines to expand their route networks; improve the functioning of international transit services; strengthen the development of new international markets such as Russia, Europe, and North America, and build a core international network connecting Northeast Asia with the United States and Europe.

Strengthen status as national demonstration zone for opening-up and international cooperation:

Carry out the "Belt and Road" initiative and "China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor"; improve the functioning of aviation ports; attract more foreign capital; deepen cooperation with Russia, Northeast Asia, the United States, Europe and other countries and regions; improve platforms for opening-up, and create a new driver of opening up to the north.

Strengthen status as a high-end industrial cluster of Northeast China:

Boost aviation logistics, aviation services, and aviation manufacturing as core industries, and support the development of business services and cross-border e-commerce.
　　
Strengthen status as a provincial-level innovation pilot zone for institutions and mechanisms:

Further open ports, improve industry access, attract more investment, and establish comprehensive supervision mechanisms; establish an operating mechanism for “multiple investment entities, diversified financing channels, marketization of investment management” and an efficient, open, and market-oriented management system.

3. Development of the Harbin Linkong Economic Zone will divided into three phases

Elementary phase (2019-2020)
Construction will begin on the second runway east of the Harbin Taiping International Airport and the airport’s third terminal, and the international cargo station near the airport will be put into use.

The Harbin airport will be equipped to handle around 26 million passengers and 240,000 tons of cargo annually, and will offer 30 international flights connecting Harbin to other countries and regions.

Growth phase (2021-2025)
Construction on the east-2 and the west-1 runways as well as the third terminal of the Harbin Taiping International Airport will be completed.

The Harbin airport will be equipped to handle around 42 million passengers and 400,000 tons of cargo annually, and will offer 80 international flights connecting Harbin to other countries and regions.

Maturity phase (2026-2035)
Construction on the west-2 runway, the sub-terminal of the third terminal, and the southern terminal area of the Harbin Taiping International Airport will be completed.

The Harbin airport will be equipped to handle around 80 million passengers and 1 million tons of cargo annually, with 110 international flights covering Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, Europe, and North America.