金融英语阅读：New cargo flight boosts high-tech hub

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　　CHONGQING - Major delivery company TNT launched an air cargo service between Chongqing and Belgium city Lige on Tuesday, a link that is expected to help build closer ties between the fast-growing high-tech production center in Southwest China and the important electronics consumer market of Europe.
8 n8 _9 c3 h/ m- }2 L) _! D　　The direct flight will act as a rapid logistics route to deliver mainly IT products from the city to the European market.
　　"Chongqing is developing as an important high-tech manufacturing center in western China. We are pleased to contribute to the high-tech industry's development by providing the pioneering international delivery services between Chongqing and Europe," said Michael Drake, regional managing director of TNT North Asia.
$ N0 O; J- x+ S: ?+ o, C　　The central government's resolve to develop a wealthier and more prosperous western China has provided opportunities for Chongqing's development.
* v/ s/ Q9 c' k6 R6 W6 F6 u' C1 W　　In the first eight months of this year, exports from Chongqing rose 62.1 percent year-on-year to $4.2 billion. The city's GDP increased by 17.6 percent in the first half of 2010 from a year earlier to $54.51 billion.
! ~+ ~( M+ p( G' Y" l. Q0 U7 {　　"Transportation and infrastructure are the facilities most needed during Chongqing's ongoing process of industrial transformation and upgrading from traditional manufacturing to the high-tech sector," said Yang Zhiqing, an industrial analyst from Guangfa Securities.
: P7 u5 `( q) O$ e* v( l, n5 T+ g* k　　The new direct flight will further highlight Chongqing's advantage in low-cost human resources compared with those of coastal cities, making it more popular in efforts to attract renowned overseas enterprises, Yang said.
/ i. p+ R! ^1 k1 w) X　　Improved infrastructure and upgrading in the clean and high-tech industries have already attracted big names to build their production bases in the city, analysts said.
# d+ a" R1 V; U) S* m　　These include companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Foxconn, Cisco and Inventec. Currently, the city receives orders for 40 million notebooks each year and its production volume will rise to 80 million notebooks in three years.
( l1 p6 Z9 T, h- c4 g　　"Chongqing doesn't hide its ambition to be the industry leader among western cities," Yang said.
+ X& w- Y* U# O* M& N' u  P3 M% f　　"It has worked out a blueprint to become the nation's largest comprehensive tariff-free zone and the largest production base of electronics products in the western region," he said.
- z/ |$ h  R& J8 e9 V; p; k! w　　In the past eight years, Chongqing has invested nearly 250 billion yuan ($37.52 billion) in infrastructure.
　　It has set logistics facilities in sectors including its port, high-speed railway, highways and airport to ride on the next economic boom that is mainly expected to occur in the nation's western areas, analysts said.
　　"China is a strategically vital market for TNT globally," said Michael Drake, regional managing director of TNT North Asia.
! P  W" |5 i: B6 u3 d5 N　　"By leveraging our strengths and capability in both international express and domestic road transportation services, we are in a unique market position to offer customers a combined delivery service that can meet both growing export and domestic demand across the country," he said.
1 A9 [" D! u- j0 {' [　　The new TNT service will involve Boeing 747 aircraft for the 12-hour cargo flight, company sources said. There will be three flights each week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. A daily flight is expected to start by the end of this year.
8 }2 b( |7 t9 D) H6 h　　Since September, TNT has increased its dedicated flight frequency between China and Europe to a daily service. TNT is also strengthening its leading Chinese road distribution service.