做好“边”的文章，打造不断开放的东兴
——专访东兴市委书记周世军

□ 文/本刊记者 李易之

“边”是中国东兴市的大文章。

作为一座与越南山水相连的城市，东兴将凭借自身“边”的独特优势，在“一带一路”和南向通道建设中，扮演重要的角色。近年来，东兴依托区位优势，实现了与东盟国家在社会、经济、文化等多方面的良好合作，促进了自身和周边地区经济社会的快速发展，成绩突出。

近日，本刊记者就相关问题对东兴市委书记周世军进行了独家专访。

用好5大平台，发展成绩亮眼

东兴的各项发展指标，均反映出这座城市目前良好的发展态势。

据周世军书记介绍，截至2017年，东兴市生产总值达到了102.3亿元人民币，是2013年的1.4倍，年均增长率为10.2%；在人均产值、人均财政收入、人均存款余额、城镇居民人均可支配收入和农民人均纯收入等方面，该市也保持在全区的前列，13项主要经济指标保持两位数以上增长。

尤为值得一提的是，作为中国唯一与东盟国家海陆相连的城市，东兴市够通过多种渠道与东盟国家密切往来，在边境贸易和跨境人员交流等方面取得了显著的成果。周世军书记表示，据国家口岸办数据显示，东兴口岸已成为我国陆地边境人员出入境第一大口岸，2017年东兴口岸进出境人数996.5万人次。在东兴口岸，每天都有大量跨境贸易货物在这里通关。

在周世军书记看来，东兴市的发展成就，首先离不开对国家赋予东兴5大平台优势的把握。“自2010年东兴获批成为国家重点开发开放试验区核心区、先行区以来，东兴市先行先试，敢做善成，改革开放取得新突破。”周世军书记以广西东兴国家重点开发开放试验区（以下简称东兴试验区）为例介绍道，在许多制度领域创新的先行先试上，东兴走在了全国的前列。

近年来，东兴试验区平台积极推进改革创新，不仅实现了广西首张外国籍自然人经营户执照的发放，推行“先照后证”“六证合一”等登记制度，还在东兴与芒街两市的外办之间开通了24小时热线电话，做到了中越边境线两侧之间“随时可以会晤”的良好沟通状态。

东兴沿边金融综合改革试验区平台的金融综合改革也不断深入推进。2013年以来，东兴市不断进行探索与创新，创造了人民币和越南盾特许兑换、东盟货币服务平台、跨境保险、人民币和越南盾现钞跨境调运、跨境反假货币合作机制5项“全国第一”，中国—东盟货币服务平台推出的“东兴指数”已成为人民币兑越南盾的重要参考，在全区乃至全国范围内推广。

良好合作机制的建立，促进了两国在产品、通关等边境贸易问题上的充分沟通，促进了边境贸易更加快速地发展。目前东兴的边民互市平台已经得到了中国海关等相关部门的高度认可，东兴进境水果指定口岸、进口冰鲜水产品口岸已经开通运营；“东兴边贸”区域品牌通过国家质检总局区域品牌价值评估，价值超7亿元人民币；东兴创新边民互市贸易结算模式，大力发展跨境贸易的做法在广西得到了表彰和推广。

东兴市委书记周世军

东兴还不断加快推进边境经济合作区平台的调整工作，扩区调整方案已报商务部待批复。该平台积极采取“一区三园一港”模式进行发展，冲榄产业园、东盟特色产品加工（牛轭岭）产业园、江平工业园等园区建设不断加快，东兴港前期工作也在积极谋划中，东兴有关方面正奋力将其建成面向越南的集加工制造、边境贸易、金融服务和物流配送为一体的经济合作区。

在构建开放型经济新体制试点试验区的平台上，中国东兴与越南芒街越来越紧密的经贸合作，还在彼此间催生了跨境劳务合作相关机制的建立健全。

“截至目前，需要在东兴工作的越南籍务工人员已经可以申请最长半年审批一次的通行证，而且这类通行证最多可以延期两次。也就是说，一名越南籍务工人员在东兴试验区最长可以待上一年半的时间。目前东兴31家试点企业聘用境外劳工超过6800人。”周世军书记说。

6大产业齐发力，“口岸经济”有内涵

产业的发展程度是一个城市成功的重要标志之一。

在过去，东兴的经济很大程度上需要依赖中越货物流通带来的“通道经济”。然而这种经济模式存在一种很大的弊端——没有实现商品附加价值的提升，也就没有太多剩余价值可以留在当地。

为了改变这样的现状，东兴市将努力实现“通道经济”向“口岸经济”的转型，大力发展东兴市的边贸上下游产业，在跨境贸易、跨境加工、跨境旅游、跨境电商、跨境金融、跨境物流等6大跨境产业上寻求突破。

据周世军书记介绍，东兴近年来全力打造跨境加工产业升级版，重点打造了跨境经济合作区产业园、江平工业园、冲榄工业园、东盟商品加工贸易中心、东兴边贸中心、海峡两岸（防城港·东兴）产业合作示范区等6个产业园区，以及海产品、红木、果类（水果、坚果）、建材、轻纺制造、电子和新能源等加工制造业门类。将这些产业园区纳入东兴的发展中，将有利于吸引更多企业落户当地。

旅游业则是除了工业制造业之外，能够快速提升一座城市收入和知名度的另一个重要产业。东兴目前积极推进国家全域旅游示范区和跨境旅游合作区建设，常态化开通跨境自驾游，成功开通“两国四地”黄金旅游线路，国家全域旅游示范区通过自治区初审，东兴—芒街跨境旅游合作区列入“十三五”国家重点项目。

而在与本刊记者的对话过程中，周世军书记对东兴市跨境电商的蓬勃发展也颇有感想。

近年来，中国网信集团、圆通速递等大型企业成功落户，2015年以来新增电商企业606家，累计达2511家。电子商务交易额63.3亿元，东兴电子商务发展指数进入中国县域20强，位居中国西部地区最前列，4次荣获“全国电子商务百佳县”称号。

“数字出来我们都吓了一跳，不敢相信是真的。”周世军书记回忆道。很多人似乎也不曾预料到，东兴这座边境城市，在如今蓬勃发展的互联网商业的新兴业态中，能有这样强大的潜力和爆发力。

01 /东兴万众国际批发市场

02 / 在东兴，跨境劳务合作方兴未艾

科学布局产业，做好“边”的文章

对于产业的整体架构，本刊记者了解到，东兴将会按照“前岸中区后城”发展模式布局其产业，构建边海联动经济新格局。

“东兴将更加突出‘边’的文章，沿北仑河及边境一线横向区域，完善提升口岸区、贸易区等基础设施及通关便利等服务功能，打造‘一口岸多通道’，形成‘前岸’特色产业集群。”周世军书记说道。在东兴市的6大跨境产业中，跨境贸易、跨境金融和跨境电商等跨境产业，将被列入“前岸”的布局中。

对于“中区”，他解释道，东兴将在口岸的后方推进特色产业园区发展，积极布局有关产业，形成“中区”特色产业集群。这其中将涵盖跨境经济合作区产业园、江平工业园、冲榄工业园等园区，通过这些园区内加工制造业、服务业等行业的发展，为东兴的边境产业发展吸引企业入住，切实推动“口岸经济”的成型。

而“后城”则意味着通过纵横衔接、辐射发展，全面形成沿边开放型经济新体系，让后方城市的支撑将对口岸和工业园区的产业发挥重要支持作用。

东兴市的“前岸”“中区”与“后城”将会通过目前正在兴建的一系列交通基础设施实现互联互通和相互关联。

推进基础设施建设，“边”界变通途

东兴市拥有良好的边境资源，与越南芒街合作紧密，边境产业蓬勃发展。然而当地基础设施建设的速度，相对滞后于边境贸易发展的速度。

长期以来，北仑河一桥口岸是中越两国通过东兴市开展边贸的重要通道。这座桥梁的设计蓝本来自20世纪中叶。然而在中国与越南经济水平和经贸关系不断向前发展的时代背景下，双向仅有两车道的北仑河一桥已难堪重负。

因此，2018年年内即将合龙的中越北仑河二桥被寄予厚望，将会成为东兴跨境合作区中越双方区域之间生产要素自由流动的通道，进一步提升东兴跨境产业发展的“天花板”。

另一方面，从防城港通往东兴的动车预计将在2021年正式开通。与国门大道相呼应，这两条人员和要素往来的陆路通道将东兴市的东扩，与防城港市向西发展的大趋势相融合，两座城市的发展也将于此实现深度对接；东兴支线机场的落成也指日可待，为要素在东兴市的聚集提供重要的支持。

不过周世军书记表示，交通基础设施建设的红利将不仅仅面向东兴市，更可以覆盖周边的“一带一路”沿线地区。

积极推进南向通道建设，是广西实现国家赋予“三大定位”的重要举措。东兴市作为全广西乃至全国唯一与东盟国家海陆相连的城市，在其中将扮演重要的角色。东兴市互联互通基础设施的日渐完善，将有利于越南等中南半岛上的东盟国家参与到南向通道的建设中。随着南向通道建设的推进，东兴市“边”的文章也有望越写越精彩！

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Making Full Use of Border Advantages to Develop a More Open Dongxing— Exclusive Interview with Zhou Shijun, Secretary of the CPC Dongxing Municipal Committee

Written by Li Yizhi / Translated by Zhang Haiyan

Being a border city is a great and unique advantage of Dongxing.

Capitalizing on its geographical advantage as a border city that links Vietnam by mountains and rivers,Dongxing will play a signi ficant role in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Southern Transport Corridor. In recent years, Dongxing has carried out social, economic and cultural cooperation with ASEAN countries, bringing about a rapid socioeconomic development of the city itself and the nearby regions. Recently, China-ASEAN Panorama had an exclusive interview with Zhou Shijun, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Dongxing Municipal Committee.

Remarkable development achievements with “ five platforms”

Dongxing’s sound development could be reflected by various development indicators.

According to Zhou Shijun, Dongxing’s GDP reached RMB 10.23 billion yuan in 2017, representing an annual average growth rate of 10.2% and 1.4 times of that in 2013. Dongxing also outstripped many other cities in Guangxi in terms of per capita GDP, per capita fiscal revenue, per capita bank balance, urban per capita disposable income, and rural per capita net income,with 13 major economic indicators maintaining doubledigit growth.

It is worth mentioning that, as the only Chinese city connecting ASEAN both by land and sea, Dongxing is able to conduct close exchanges with ASEAN countries through multiple channels, and has made notable achievements in border trade and cross-border personnel exchanges. Zhou Shijun mentioned that, according to data from the National Office of Port Administration,Dongxing Port has been the land port with the largest number of exits and entries of people in China, with the year 2017 witnessing 9.965 million persons passing through the port. Every day, a large quantity of goods go through customs clearance in Dongxing Port.

In the view of Zhou Shijun, Dongxing could not make such outstanding achievements without taking advantages of the five platforms provided by the country. “Since it was approved as a national key pilot zone for development and opening-up in 2010,Dongxing has made new breakthroughs in reform and opening-up with a pioneering spirit and bold actions.”Citing the Dongxing National Key Experimental Zone for Development and Opening-up (hereinafter referred to as “Dongxing Experimental Zone”), he said that Dongxing leads the way in piloting institutional innovation in China.

In recent years, Dongxing is actively deepening reform and innovation. In 2017, Dongxing issued Guangxi’sfirst business licenses for foreign natural persons, and implemented the practice of “license first, operating permit second” and “integration of six certificates required of businesses into one”. A 24-hour hotline was opened between foreign affairs of fices of Dongxing and Vietnam’s Mong Cai, which created a good mechanism where two sides across the China-Vietnam borderline are able to communicate at any time.

Further progress has also been made in the financial reforms of Dongxing Border Pilot Zone for Comprehensive Financial Reforms. Since 2013, through continuous exploration and innovation, Dongxing has created five “firsts” in China, including the first to initiate the business of currency exchange between CNY and VND, the first to build an ASEAN currency service platform, the first to establish a cross-border insurance service center, the first to launch crossborder allocation and transportation of RMB and VND banknotes, and the first to put in place a cross-border cooperation mechanism for anti-counterfeit money.The “Dongxing Index” launched by China-ASEAN Currency Service Platform has been an important reference for CNY-VND exchange, which are applied across Guangxi and even nationwide.

The sound cooperation mechanism helps facilitate the communication between both countries in border trade issues related to products and custom clearance, speeding up the development of border trade. Dongxing border trade zone is highly recognized by relevant departments including Chinese customs, and Dongxing Port designated for fruit imports and chilled and fresh aquatic products imports have been put into operation. The regional brand of “Dongxing Border Trade” was valued at over RMB 700 million yuan in the 2015 Regional Brand Value Evaluation conducted by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. Dongxing has innovated the model of border trade settlement, and channeled great energy into developing cross-border trade, which is commented by and applied to other parts of Guangxi.

Dongxing has also been accelerating the adjustment of its border economic cooperation zone, with an expansion plan reported to the Ministry of Commerce for approval.Following the model of “one district, three parks and one port”, construction of Chonglan Industrial Park, ASEAN Featured Products Processing (Niueling) Industrial Park,and Jiangping Industrial Park is gathering pace, and preliminary work of Dongxing Port is under planning.Through these efforts, Dongxing is striving to build a Vietnam-oriented economic cooperation zone that integrates processing, manufacturing, border trade, financial service and logistic.

In the building of the pilot zone for new systems for an open economy, Dongxing has formed closer economic and trade collaboration with Mong Cai, and set up and improved relevant mechanisms for cross-border labor cooperation.

“So far, Vietnamese workers in Dongxing may apply for a pass that requires approval up to every half a year, and can be renewed twice. That is to say, a Vietnamese worker may stay in Dongxing Experimental Zone for at most one and a half year. At present, more than 6,800 overseas workers are employed in 31 pilot enterprises in Dongxing,” said Zhou Shijun.

“Port economy” booming through six major industries

The degree of industrial development is an important indicator of a city’s success.

In the past, Dongxing’s economic development followed the model of “corridor economy” that depended heavily on the cargo movement between China and Vietnam. However,such economic model failed to increase the added value of products, leaving little residual value for local area.

In order to improve the situation, Dongxing is trying to transform its economic development model from “corridor economy” to “port economy”, vigorously developing the upstream and downstream industries of border trade, and seeking breakthroughs in six major cross-border industries including cross-border trade, cross-border processing,cross-border tourism, cross-border E-commerce, crossborder finance, and cross-border logistics.

According to Zhou Shijun, Dongxing has made every effort to upgrade cross-border processing industry, building six industrial parks including the Cross-border Economic Cooperation Industrial Park, Jiangping Industrial Park,Chonglan Industrial Park, ASEAN Goods Processing Trade Center, Dongxing Border Trade Center, and Crossstrait (Fangchenggang-Dongxing) Industrial Cooperation Demonstration Zone, with a focus on maritime products,rosewood, fruits (fruits and nuts), building materials, textile manufacturing, electronics and new energy. These industrial parks will help attract more enterprises to Dongxing.

In addition to manufacturing, tourism represents another important industry to boost a city’s revenues and popularity.Dongxing is actively advancing the construction of the integrated tourism demonstration zone and cross-border tourism cooperation zone. It launched normalized crossborder self-driving tours, and opened a golden tourist route connecting four cities in two countries. The project of the integrated tourism demonstration zone has passed preliminary review by Guangxi authorities, and the Dongxing-Mong Cai Cross-border Tourism Cooperation Zone has been listed in the national key projects of the 13thFive-Year Plan.

Zhou Shijun also briefed on the prosperous development of cross-border E-commerce in Dongxing. In recent years,many large enterprises such as NCF Group and YTO Express have started their operation here. Since 2015,the number of newly-registered E-commerce enterprises has risen by 606 to 2,511, with an E-commerce turnover of RMB 6.33 billion yuan. Dongxing’s E-commerce development index is among the top 20 of all counties,ranking the first in western China, and Dongxing has won the honor of “TOP 100 E-commerce Counties in China” for four times.

“The figure was so amazing that we could not believe it,”he said. It is beyond all expectation that the border city of Dongxing boasts such great potential and power in the flourishing Internet commerce.

Scientific industrial layout helping make full use of border advantages

Dongxing will make scienti fic plans for its industrial layout following the “Port-Park-City” development model, forming a new economic pattern that integrates both border and sea.

“Dongxing will give greater priority to its border advantages. It will improve the infrastructure and services like customs clearance of port and trading area along the Beilun River, and build “one port with multiple corridors”, thus to create port industrial clusters with local characteristics,” said Zhou Shijun.Among the six major cross-border industries in Dongxing, cross-border trade, cross-border finance and cross-border E-commerce will be incorporated into the port industrial layout.

He then stated that Dongxing will make a big push to develop industrial parks behind the port, and make plans for industrial layout to cultivate industrial clusters in these parks, which will include the Cross-border Economic Cooperation Industrial Park, Jiangping Industrial Park,Chonglan Industrial Park and others. Through developing the processing, manufacturing and service sectors in these parks, Dongxing is able to attract more enterprises to grow its border industries, thus effectively promoting the formation of “port economy”.

Lastly, by integrating the development of different sectors,and forging new systems for an open border economy, the whole city of Dongxing will play a supporting role in the industrial development of the port and industrial parks.

And Dongxing is now pushing forward with the construction of transport infrastructure to realize the connectivity within the “Port-Park-City” model.

Strengthening infrastructure construction to facilitate border trade

Endowed with good border resources, Dongxing enjoys thriving border industries through its close cooperation with Mong Cai. Yet, the local infrastructure construction is lagging behind its development of border trade.

For a long time, the first bridge over the Beilun River in Dongxing Port, which was designed in the middle of the 20thcentury, serves as an important channel for China to conduct border trade with Vietnam. Nevertheless, as the economy and trade relations of the two countries keep growing, the two-way two-lane bridge is unable to bear the heavy transport load.

That is why high hopes are pinned on the second bridge on the Beilun River, with its two sections set to be connected within 2018. It will become a channel for free flow of factors of production between China and Vietnam, further improving the cross-border industrial development in Dongxing.

Moreover, a high-speed railway linking Fangchenggang and Dongxing is expected to be operated in 2021. Together with Fangchenggang’s Guomen Avenue project, these two overland routes, in line with the trend of Dongxing’s eastward urban expansion and Fangchenggang’s westward development, will help synergize the development of the two cities. Construction of a regional airport in Dongxing will be completed in the near future, providing important support for the gathering of factors here.

Zhou Shijun said the said transport infrastructure will bene fit not only Dongxing, but also the surrounding regions along the Belt and Road.

To move forward with the construction of the Southern Transport Corridor is an important step for Guangxi to build itself into an international passage to ASEAN, a new strategic pivot for the opening-up and development of southwest and central China, and a crucial gateway connecting the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21stCentury Maritime Silk Road. Dongxing, as the only city linking China and ASEAN via both land and sea, is playing a vital role in this effort. The increasingly complete infrastructure in Dongxing will offer favorable conditions for ASEAN countries on Indo-China Peninsula such as Vietnam to participate in the building of the Southern Transport Corridor. With the progress of the Southern Transport Corridor, there is every reason to believe that Dongxing will write a new chapter in the development with its border resources.