Lei Jie, a CPPCC National Committee member and chairwoman of the CPPCC Jinan municipal committee [Photo/Aijinan News]

More support should be given to promote the development of the Jinan Start-up Area for Growth Drivers Transformation, a political advisor said.

The Jinan Start-up Area for Growth Drivers Transformation is 798 square kilometers in size and is located in Jinan's northern area. It's the second of its kind in China, following the Xiongan New Area in Hebei province's start-up area.

On March 5, Lei Jie, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee and chairwoman of the CPPCC Jinan municipal committee, said that the region will play a key role in promoting the Yellow River Basin's ecological protection and high-quality development, as well as the shift of growth drivers from old to new ones in the country's northern area.

According to Lei, Jinan enjoys superior regional advantages, convenient transportation, and a favorable business environment, which make it a good place for enterprises to start up and invest.

"In its early development period, the region needs high-end element support such as science and technology, talents and capital, as well as strong support from high-quality enterprises, high-end universities and research platforms," Lei said.

She hopes that additional global corporations will establish headquarters in the zone, as well as R&D centers from universities and scientific research institutes from Beijing, which will establish branches there.

More policies should be rolled out to support the region's industrial development, finance, innovation and project construction to underpin the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, Lei added.