A Research Into The Path To Ningbo Construct A Modern International Port City

A port city is the outcome of organic combination and interactive development between the port and city. A port city has the geographical advantage of connecting land and sea and continuously accumulates and releases a powerful clustering effect, which makes it possible to maintain sustainable prosperity even after the loss of advantage of the transport by sea. A modern international port city is the higher stage of port city development, which entails the modernization and internationalization of its economy, society, port and city. Modern international port cities in the world have followed some shared rules in their developmental process although they may vary in style from one to another.Ningbo enjoys a long and famous history as a typical port city, and the general goal for the development of society and economy in Ningbo is to develop Ningbo into a modern internationalized port city. Ningbo has so far laid good foundations in developing itself as a modern internationalized port city such as the world-class port conditions, the port economy with its own characteristics, fairly good urban infrastructure, comparatively developed economy and society etc. In the future to come, Ningbo is not only faced with good opportunities, but also great challenges such as the fierce competition in the region, not outstanding comprehensive superiority as a port, not powerful function in urban clustering and demonstrating, not sound industrial structure, the relatively lagging-behind development in social causes, not developed urban internationalization, increasing pressure from the resource environment etc. This paper adopts a quantitative approach, offers an assessment in the present development of Ningbo and predicts that the goal of developing Ningbo basically as an international port city will be hopefully achieved by 2020.On the basis of the synthesis and analysis of basic conditions in Ningbo, the present developing situations, the good opportunities and challenges and its weaknesses, the conclusion drawn in this paper is that to achieve the goal of developing Ningbo as a modern international port city, seven strategic policies should be employed as follows: Firstly, speed up and strengthen the integration of Ningbo and Zhoushan ports, construct a key international deep-water transshipment hub and a large ocean container transshipment base on the continental coast of China, seek a different developing path from Yangshan port in Shanghai and get integrated into the world-class port group in the Yangtze River Delta. Secondly, get the position of duty-free port city, take the construction of duty-free port as the leading task, and aim at creating a regional hub of comprehensive material flow. Thirdly, push forward the interactive development of the port and city, enhance the function of urban clustering and demonstrating, and construct a central regional city. Fourthly, further the up-grading the industrial structure, increase the ratio of the modern tertiary industry, promote the manufacturing technology, and create a developed multiple economic system. Fifthly, adopt an overall opening policy, increase the foreign exchanges in many fields such as economy, society, arts and promote the city internationalization in all fields etc. Sixthly, push forward the coordinated development of economy and society, further the development in the fields such as science, education, culture, sanitation, sports, social welfare and security etc. and thus speed up the modernization of social development. Seventhly, seek and maintain a sustainable way of developing, encourage the economizing of resources and strengthen the environmental protection, and construct an eco-friendly international port city.