Liu Minxia

    mllmx@msn.com

    QIANHAI is speeding up its construction on major projects that will give the special economic zone a new look within a year or two, the new head of the zone’s authority told reporters Saturday.

    Du Peng, who assumed the post as the head of the Qianhai authority last Monday, visited a construction site in Qianhai on Saturday to encourage the workers. It was the second time that Du visited a construction site in Qianhai since last Monday.

    “After five years of accumulation, Qianhai has entered a phase where it can showcase some of its results, which was widely expected,” said Du. “We hope to give Qianhai a new look by accomplishing some major projects within a year or two.”

    The Qianhai zone, created in 2010 as a test bed for China’s yuan liberalization and financial reforms, has drawn public ire for moving too slowly. Four years after its establishment, the zone remains vastly undeveloped and only began showing signs of life last year.

    On July 30, the Qianhai authority made a plan to quicken its construction pace on 10 major projects in the zone in the hopes of spending a total infrastructure investment of 30 billion yuan (US$4.9 billion) before the end of the year.