[Opinion] Tianjin: Asia’s Next Hub?

China’s Tianjin is somewhat similar to Korea’s port city of Incheon. Since the city is an hour and a half ride from Beijing, there is much traffic between the two cities. A few sports events, such as soccer, are to take place there during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Its infrastructure has continuously expanded since it was leased to Great Britain and France in 1858, and global funds constantly flow into the city to this day. About 1,800 Korean companies have set up operations here. Tianjin is also the place where Heungseon Daewon-gun, the father of King Gojong, spent three years as a captive during the late 19th Century.

China announced that Tianjin will become a Northeast Asian hub centered around a huge shipping logistics complex and high-tech manufacturing facilities. Following Shenzhen, Shanghai and Pudong, Tianjin’s Binhai area was designated an “experimental region for national reform” by China’s State Council on June 6. The government plans to expand port facilities to three times its current size and make Tianjin’s ports the largest bonded trade areas in the nation, and also increase Binhai International Airport’s facilities to bring up the passenger capacity to more than five million per year. Necessary land is to be created through land reclamation works.

A ‘Northeast Asian hub’ was one of President Roh Moo-hyun’s 10 pet projects. “Our future should not be caged in the Korean Peninsula,” President Roh proclaimed, stressing the importance of making Korea the logistics, trade and production hub of Northeast Asia. He even formed the Northeast Asia Economic Hub Promotion Council (later renamed Northeast Asia Era Council). As part of the plan, President Roh’s government designated Incheon, Busan-Jinhae, and Gwangyang as Free Economic Zones (FEZ). However, the idea of a “Northeast Asian hub” is as good as gone now. This is the reality of our “Roadmap government,” a government that is full of words but without any real achievement.

China has risen rapidly while we have been looking the other way. The ever-expanding Tianjin is surely a threat to Songdo, Yeongjongdo in Incheon, and Busan. It is imperative that we introduce specialized services and policies that can give these port areas a competitive edge against Shenzhen, Pudong and Tianjin. In order to do, so we need to implement tough plans and provide incentives, but it is doubtful whether the current administration can do so with such closed mindsets and policies.

Song Young-eon, Editorial Writer, youngeon@donga.com