This is one of the goals of the Torch Industrial Development Zone in eastern Zhongshan, stretching across 70 sq km and one of 57 hi-tech zones in China.
About three quarters of the 500 businesses on the site are in hi-tech sectors, and the combined annual turnover of all the businesses is about 90 billion yuan.
Feng Shusheng, director of the administrative committee for the zone, said there is no reason why the development of a high-tech business sector should lead to fewer people being employed.
“State-of-the-art electronics businesses can be labor-intensive, as well. We want to develop businesses that are both technologically-intensive and labor-intensive,” Feng said.
“It is not good to move all the lower-tech, labor-intensive businesses to less developed areas of China, since it doesn’t help those areas with their development,” he added.
One of the main strategies of government authorities has been to lessen its dependence on foreign-owned companies - some 2,542 of which deserted the province last year as a result of the financial crisis.
Xie Zhongfan, executive vice mayor of Zhongshan, said it is important that the economy not be dependent on one or two companies that might suddenly leave, and focus instead on developing homegrown small businesses.
“If you develop a solid base of SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) businesses, the money is in the pockets of the business owners who then reinvest it in the local economy,” Xie said.
One of the big debates among economic planners is whether Guangdong should give up its dependence on low-technology, but labor-intensive industry - making such items as simple household goods and toys - and move up the industrial chain to make more value-added technology products.
The LED company is one of a large number of hi-tech businesses that make up the Guangdong economy.
Often set in green landscaped parks, they contrast with the province’s image of factories belching out smoke.
Despite the crisis, the province still looks relatively prosperous with few obvious signs of unemployment or poverty.
It has been hit hard, however, after suffering its biggest economic trauma since it set out on the road to becoming one of the industrial powerhouses of modern China more than two decades ago.
There have been a number of initiatives at both provincial and municipal levels to get the province back on its feet.
These include subsidies for employing people, tax reductions and other stimulus measures.
The focus is now on the low-energy LED lighting subsidiary, which is based at a business incubator in the HZZK National Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone, a Chinese national industry park.
The subsidiary’s work has been boosted by the government’s huge building and infrastructure spending program, in which low-energy LED lighting is often specified.
“Because the government is specifying the use of LED lighting in a lot of new infrastructure projects, it has benefited the company,” Yi said.
The growth of the LED business, whose sales largely go to the domestic market, is gradually moving the group away from a dependency on exports.
“Before the economic crisis, one of our main strategies was to concentrate more on the domestic market, and this we are continuing to do,” he said.
High technology
Many businesses, which had until recently been thriving, were left questioning their survival.
Yet after months of the sustained impact of the government’s 4 trillion yuan economic stimulus package, as well as indications of a steady recovery in some export markets, there seems to be evidence that at last things might be turning around.
The fall in the province’s exports has certainly slowed, down 15.1 percent year-on-year in July, compared to 18 percent in June, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Frankie Yi, marketing director of Huizhou Unihero LED Lighting Technology in Huizhou, one of the province’s major cities, said the stimulus package is having a positive effect on his business.
It is part of the Shenzhen-based consumer electronics group Unihero, whose exports of appliances slumped by 30 percent in the first half, compared with last year.
Less than a year after being in the eye of an economic storm, China’s manufacturing heartland might at last be showing some signs of recovery.
Guangdong province - labeled one of the key “workshops of the world” - was on the firing line at the end of 2008 when North American and European consumers stopped buying their goods.
Exports collapsed by 18.6 percent in the first half of this year, according to Customs statistics, as vital markets for the province’s electronics, clothing and household goods manufacturers dried up.
Only six months ago it was reported that 600,000 migrant workers, who make up a substantial proportion of the labor force, had decided to go home.
The match between Stuttgart and Nuremberg ended in a draw. New runner up Nuremberg showed a good performance. Stuttgart played phlegmatic and should be very happy with the earning of one point.
Hoffenheim beat Hannover 96 by 1-0. Hoffenheims midfielder Carlos Eduardo scored the winner in the 40 minute and punished so with the more active and better team Hannover 96.
The last Saturday’s Bundesliga match among Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt was an exchange of blows. Frankfurt was the more active team while Borussia Dortmund was more threatening. Egyptian international Mohamed Zidan opened the scoring at the 62 minute. Only 6 minutes later Frankfurts striker Ioannis Amanati dis-slotted the equalizer. The game ended in an equitable point distribution.
Already on Friday Borussia Moenchengladbach lost to newcomer Mainz with 0-3.
On Sunday Berlin will host Bremen and Hamburg is to receive Koln.
Four minutes before interval the good actions of Bayer Leverkusen were rewarded when German international Manuel Friedrich headed the equalizer into the net. It was German international striker Stefan Kieling who scored the winner in the 68th minute. Leverkusen thus leads the Bundesliga table at least until Sunday.
The match between Schalke 04 and Newboys Freiburg ended with a surprise. Schalke 04 was unable to produce any score even though they were the active team. It was Freiburg’s South Corean international defender who brought the astonishing lead five minutes before interval.
Schalke started the second half well coordinated and active but Freiburg was luckier and could skillfully defend their lead. It was the first defeat of Schalke and Freiburgs first victory in German Bundesliga.
After the interval Hamid Altintop was replaced by newcomer Arjen Robben. In the 68th minute Robben presented all his qualities when he netted the ball in. Anatoliy Tymoshchuk won possession from Ashkan Dejagah and fed the Dutch midfielder, who moved inside the box and fired home into the far corner, with the aid of a slight deflection from Andrea Barzagli.
The Dutch international underlined his dream start with a second goal in the 80th minute and he was assisted by Franck Ribery.
Robben, who moved from Real Madrid to Bayern just one day ago, secured the German record champions their first league win of 2009-10 Season. For Wolfsburg this was the second defeat this season.
For Saturday’s other matches, Leverkusen earned a well deserved victory over Bochum. In spite of their threatening actions it was VfL Bochum who opened the score at 32 minute after Joel Epalles shot was deflected by striker Diego Klimowicz.
Thanks to newcomer Arjen Robben’s sparkling two goals, record German champion Bayern Munich whitewashed reigning champion Wolfsburg 3-0 to win the top clash of German Bundesliga on Saturday.
German soccer powerhouse Leverkusen remains on top of the table after their 2-1 victory over Bochum while Schalke 04 suffered an astonishing 1-0 defeat against newly-promoted Freiburg.
The hype of the fourth Bundesliga match day was on Saturday, when Bayern Munich met Wolfsburg at home. Munich started immediately highly motivated and active. In the 27 minute German international striker Mario Gomez opened the scoring with a tap in.