Huge investment is pouring into Caofeidian, an island-turned booming development zone in the Bohai Bay in north China as more industrial projects have been attracted to this would-be model of the environment-friendly development zone.

Eight equipment manufacturing projects, including one from the Netherlands and two from the Unite States, involve a total investment of 24 billion yuan (US$3.2 billion).

Caofeidian, a small sand spit in the Bohai Bay, 220 km to the east of Beijing, has extended into a land of more than 50 sq.km through sea fillings since 2003.

The Caofeidian industrial zone was put on the list of pilot areas for recyclable economy in October 2005. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao both paid visits to the zone, expecting it to become a demonstration area for scientific development and recyclable development.

In March this year, construction of Beijing Capital Iron and Steel Group's new steel plant began in Caofeidian. The 21-sq-km new plant will be operational at the end of next year and become the country's largest steel production base in 2010.

An evaluation by the country's environment watchdog shows the new plant will ensure 99.5 percent of the solid waste and 97.5 percent of waste water are recycled.

So for, a total of 43 industrial projects have been signed or begun construction in Caofeidian, involving around 201 billion yuan of investment, according to Xue Boxun, deputy director of the Caofeidian Industrial Zone Administration Commission.

(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2007)