With a multitude of industrial bases, traditional and emerging industries, plus a strategic location and effective policies for businesses, Ninghai is one of the top 100 manufacturing counties in Mainland China

Ninghai is located in the south of the Yangtze River Delta in Mainland China. It is the central county city of southern Ningbo, with Xiangshan Port to the north and Sanmen Bay to the south. Ninghai is a county within mountains, among rivers and close to the sea as it is made up of 70-per-cent hills, 10-per-cent bodies of water and 20-per-cent farmland. Its west lies at a higher elevation than the east and has five rivers and seven reservoirs. Ninghai occupies a land area of 1,843 square kilometres with 176 kilometres of coastline and has a registered population of 633,000.

Ninghai is honoured with titles including “National Basic Economic Competitiveness: Top 100 Counties”, “Birthplace of ‘May 19’ China Tourism Day”, “The First Batch of National-level Tourism Demonstration Areas”, “National Ecological County” and “National Sustainable Development Pilot Area”.

In 2019, Ninghai achieved a GDP of RMB70bn, representing a 6.1-per-cent increase from the previous year, while its fiscal revenue reached RMB10.4bn and the general public budget income reached RMB6.6bn. The gross industrial output value reached RMB130bn. Ninghai ranks 48th on the country’s top 100 counties list in terms of comprehensive strength and ranks second among the top 100 counties embracing the “two mountains” development concept.

Comprehensive business support

Ninghai offers extensive support to businesses, including the implementation of “one-stop” procedures. The evaluation and approval of corporate investment projects takes no more than 37 days in the county, making it the most efficient in Zhejiang Province. In addition, it only takes one hour for property registration and usually three working days for company incorporation.

Covering banks, insurance companies and securities houses, Ninghai has more than 80 financial institutions including five state-owned banks, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, Guangzhou Development Bank, CITIC Industrial Bank, Taizhou Bank, Baoshang Bank, and foreign banks that are in business co-operation with Ninghai enterprises.

There are two five-star hotels, three four-star hotels and many boutique hotels in the county. The multifunctional Ninghai International Exhibition Center provides a wide variety of services, such as accommodation, catering, convention, exhibition, etc.

As for attracting talent and education, the county has announced a series of policies and established a high-level talent service centre, the latter of which has attracted 229 talents including three academics and 35 teams. Ninghai has 10 talent projects selected into the “Ningbo 3315 Serial Plan”.

As of the end of 2019, over 30 countries and regions have invested in Ninghai, including the US, Europe and Southeast Asia, and more than 717 investment projects from foreign enterprises were approved. The total investment amount exceeded US$5.92bn.

The industrial economy in Ninghai has been growing by leaps and bounds. A wide range of products are provided, including outdoor goods, home appliances, stationery, gifts, solar energy products and logistics machinery. The output value of the industrial enterprises above the designated size has exceeded RMB90bn, and has been shortlisted as one of the top 100 manufacturing counties. Ten manufacturing enterprises from Ninghai has been recognised as leaders in their industries. The county has established several industrial bases, including China Auto-parts Manufacture Base, China Mould Industry Base, China Die-casting Industry Base, China Auto Rubber Parts Industry Base and China Stationery Industry Base. It has also developed the 365 Industrial System, which consists of three industries each with an output value of RMB50bn, six industries each with an output value of RMB10bn and five key emerging industrial sectors.

Extensive transportation network

Ninghai has a well-developed transport infrastructure. The Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou High-speed Railway, with an average daily passenger volume exceeding 10,000, has a station in Ninghai, placing the county within a half-hour radius of Ningbo and a two-hour radius of Shanghai. The station connects Ningbo, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing in the north, Fuzhou, Xiamen and Shenzhen in the south, and Nanchang, Hefei, Changsha and Guiyang in the west.

Ninghai is 60 kilometres away from Ningbo Lishe International Airport. In 2019, the airport’s annual passenger and cargo throughput reached 12.41 million and 106,100 tons, respectively. The number of flight take-offs and landings have reached 89,487, cementing the airport’s status as a regional aviation hub.

In terms of road links, the G15 (Shenyang–Haikou) expressway and the coastal expressway run through the county. Thanks to five expressway entrances, vehicles from all major villages and development zones in the county can get onto the expressways within 10 minutes.

Ninghai is only 70 kilometres away from Zhoushan Port, which is a key hub along the Belt and Road and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, connecting different areas in all directions. The port has been ranked as the world’s number one port for 11 consecutive years, with its cargo throughput reaching 1.12 billion tonnes in 2019. It is the only port in the world with a cargo throughput exceeding 1.1 billion tonnes.



Ninghai has an excellent ecological environment with 62.5-per-cent forest coverage. Beautiful mountains, rivers, seashores, outlying islands, reefs and springs can be found throughout the county. It has good air quality and is known as a city of forests, hot springs and natural oxygen bars. Ninghai is the first National Ecological County in Ningbo and the National Garden County. The county was included in the first batch of the National Tourism Demonstration Areas, with three AAAA national tourist attractions. It welcomes more than 17.43 million tourists annually and the total tourism revenue is more than RMB17.12bn.

Key development platforms

Ningbo Southern Binhai New Area
Located on the north coast of Sanmen Bay, Zhejiang Province, the Ningbo Southern Binhai New Area covers 722 square kilometres with a population of about 200,000. With regional advantages, an excellent ecological environment, abundant land resources and superior port facilities, the area is an important hub of the Hangzhou Bay industrial belt and the Wenzhou–Taizhou coastal industrial belt.

The Ningbo Southern Binhai New Area has several industrial parks all equipped with comprehensive facilities, including the Ningbo Module Park, New Energy Automobile Industrial Park and Bio-pharmacology Industrial Park. More than 100 enterprises have moved into the industrial parks, and the total industrial output value of the area has exceeded RMB10bn. As a provincial development zone, it is a strategic platform for Zhejiang Province to build a marine economic development zone and to offer substantial support for a new round of coastal development and opening-up.

Ninghai Technology Park
Located in Ninghai’s downtown area, the Ninghai Economic Development Park is a provincial economic development district. After more than 20 years of development, the Ninghai International High-end Automotive Parts Industrial Park, Central European SME Pioneer Park, China–Switzerland Production Technology Center and China–Ukraine High-end New Materials Industrial Park, among others, have been established inside the area.

Over 820 companies from more than 30 countries and regions have set up their businesses in the Ninghai Technology Park. They include those from traditional industries, such as moulding, stationery, auto parts, hardware machinery and electronics, as well as others from emerging sectors involved in new energy, new materials, bio-pharmacology, information technology, etc.

Ningbo Bio-pharmacology Industrial Park
The Ningbo Bio-pharmacology Industrial Park is jointly built and managed by the Ningbo Municipal People’s Government and Shanghai Pharmaceutical Institute of Chinese Academy of Science. It has been listed in the Sub-park of the Ningbo National Hi-tech Development Zone (Ninghai). At present, the Ningbo Biological Industry Innovation Center is already in use, while the Preclinical Research Center is under construction. The park has also been selected as a National Innovation Demonstration Base for Marine Economy and Industry Cluster.

Ninghai Sanmen Bay Modern Agricultural Development Zone
The zone is located on the northern coast of Sanmen Bay, the second-largest port in Zhejiang Province. The three major parts in the zone, namely the Qingzhu Farm, Xiayangru and Shepantu, enjoy the convenient location, rich natural resources and solid agricultural infrastructure in the area.