The Rare Earth High-Tech Zone was established in 1990 and was approved by the State Council as a national-level high-tech zone in 1992. It has a planned area of 112.4 square kilometers and consists of three zones: the Built-up Area, the Hope Park, and the Binhe New District, with a permanent population of 184,000.The Party Working Committee and the Administrative Committee, as agencies dispatched by the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, comprise 14 division-level administrative departments and 30 public institutions. They oversee one town (Wanshuiquan Town) and two subdistricts (Rare Earth Road Subdistrict and Minxin Road Subdistrict). The zone has been designated as 27 national-level bases, including the “National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Demonstration Base” and the “National Green Industrial Park.”
Currently, there are 322 enterprises above designated size, accounting for 20.4% of the city’s total, forming four major pillar industries: rare earth new materials, deep processing of aluminum and copper, high-end equipment manufacturing, and new energy. The zone is home to 125 national-level high-tech enterprises, representing 53.6% of Baotou City and 10.2% of the autonomous region;104 national-level science and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises, accounting for 71.2% of Baotou City and 12.6% of the autonomous region; and 57 R&D centers at the autonomous region level or above, accounting for 60% of Baotou City.