Sunday the infrastructure construction of an optical and electromechanical industrial zone was kicked off in the eastern part of Beijing.

The industrial zone, which will cover seven sq.km. in Tongzhou District, is one of the ten key industrial zone construction projects in the national capital which will upgrade Beijing's technological development standards in five high-tech fields.

Beijing has invested 500 million yuan (US$60.4 million) in the infrastructure construction of the industrial zone. In the next three years, 300 million yuan (US$36.2 million) will be added each year to improve the transportation, energy supply and telecommunications facilities in the zone.

According to the city's plan, the zone, which will be home to microelectronics, optical mechanics and intelligent appliances producers, will be able to turn out five billion yuan (US$604 million)-worth of products by 2005.

(People's Daily May 28, 2002)