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With a population of 10 million, Tianjin has built a strong economy around the Tianjin Port, TEDA, and a strong consumer economy.

Located 75 miles to the east of Beijing, Tianjin has a long history as a trading port for the north, and like Shanghai this has lead to a strong commercial infrastructure and business savvy population

As can seen in the figure above, Tianjin’s macroeconomic indicators all show year on year increases, and for many manufacturers this is leading them to invest in multiple manufacturing facilities to service not only the export market but also the domestic market.

For Tianjin, IT, automobile, chemical, metallurgy, biotechnology/ pharmaceutical, new energy and environmental protection have all become areas that are considered “pillar”. However many of the large investments recently have been technology related, specifically consumer electronics, as the local governments look to move away from commodity products to good that require more technology.

In addition to trade and manufacturing, the city of Tianjin is also becoming known for having a strong service sector. In addition to a number of insurance companies locating in Tianjin, many international banks have opened their retail operations in the area. Australia New Zealand recently closed the largest bank acquisition deal with it purchased the Tianjin Development Bank.

Leveraging the Tianjin port and various economic zones, Tianjin has been able to successfully attract large amounts of foreign investment from companies looking to set up an export manufacturing platform, and there are now over 18,000 foreign invested companies within Tianjin

To support the future knowledge base in Tianjin, the government has invested heavily in educational institutions:37 institutions of higher learning at all levels, 159 academy of sciences and research institutes, 7 key state-level labs, 10 key ministry-level labs, 10 state-level research centers for engineering technology, 27 state-level and ministry-level testing centers, and there were over 80,000 college graduates last year and an additional 30,000 graduates of other technical schools.

For many firms looking at Tianjin, it is an attractive location as it is near Beijing, one of China’s largest markets, it is near the largest Northern port, and the city has invested in both the physical infrastructure required to attract investment, but also the soft infrastructure required to ensure that factories can run efficiently