Living & Traveling

Overview of Jilin Province

Capital: Changchun

Major Cities:

Baicheng, Jilin City, Siping, Tonghua, Yanji

Political Leaders

Provincial Party Secretary:  Wang Yunkun (王云忤 )
Provincial Governor: Wang Min ( 王翉)
Party Secretary of Changchun: Du Xuefang (濜学芳)
Mayor of Changchun: Zhu Yejing (祿业精)

Macro Economic Overview

Jilin’s GDP reached USD 30.5 billion in 2003, ranking 17th out of 31 Chinese provinces and municipalities.  The province’s GDP growth rate in 2003 was 10.2 percent, compared with a GDP growth rate for the entire country of 9.1 percent.  Jilin’s main industries are automobile production, petrochemicals, and agriculture.  Changchun-based First Auto Works is China’s largest carmaker.  Jilin also is one of China’s top producers of corn.  In 2003, the Central Government launched the “Revitalize the Northeast plan, in part to further reform and privatize state-owned enterprises (SOE), which continue to dominate Jilin’s economy.  Jilin’s recently-named governor, whose previous assignment was as party secretary of economically developed Suzhou City, may give new impetus to Jilin’s economic reform.  Finding employment for a large number of laid-off workers from former SOEs is one of the key challenges facing provincial leaders. Jilin in 2004 began implementing a new social security program pioneered in neighboring Liaoning. 

In 2003, the total value of Jilin’s foreign trade was 6.17 billion USD, up 66.7 percent over 2002.  Exports accounted for 2.16 billion USD, a 22.2 percent increase over the previous year.  Imports accounted for 4 billion USD, which is more than twice the 2002 value.  Leading American investors in the province include WalMart, Pepsi-Cola, and Johnson Controls.  U.S. companies that have sales or representative offices in this province are Emerson, Amway, and Kodak.

Commercial Opportunities

The best export opportunities for U.S. companies are in automobiles and automobile parts, as well as in food processing and packaging.  Although Jilin now assembles VW cars (Jetta and Golf models) and Ford’s Mazda 6, U.S. companies could find it advantageous to export small cars to Jilin in the next two years, as June 1, 2006, WTO deadline approaches for China to reduce tariffs and other impediments to small cars imports.  The imminent completion of the international airport in the capital city of Changchun, could yield opportunities for U.S. firms to train airport managers and workers.  A breadbasket of China, Jilin is also seeking technology and equipment for downstream food processing.

Population

Jilin’s population is 26.9 million.  Ethnic minorities (e.g. Koreans, Manchus, Mongolians, Hui) make up about 9 percent of the population.  It is home to over 1 million ethnic Koreans, 800,000 of whom reside in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, which borders North Korea.  Because of its proximity to the DPRK, the vast majority of illegal North Korean border-crossers are in Jilin Province.

Education

Jilin currently has 35 universities and institutes of higher learning, 2,034 vocational schools, 1,951 middle schools, and 9,435 primary schools.  Prominent universities include Jilin University, Northeast Normal University, and Yanbian University.  University graduates comprise 4.8 percent of Jilin’s population, compared with a national figure of 3.6 percent.

Consular Issues

More than 400 American citizens are currently registered with the consulate as living in Jilin.  The majority is students or English teachers. Jilin has a large community of South Korean and Korean-American Christian missionaries who are active in predominantly ethnic Korean Yanbian prefecture, specifically in Yanji and Tumen. 
 
A large number of student and exchange scholar visa applicants come from Jilin University, which has a number of established exchange programs with US universities.  First Automobile Works is another major organization involved in several joint venture programs, sending employees to the United States for training or to purchase and inspect equipment.