Upon the approval of the State Council, the Huizhou Dayawan Economic and Technological Development Zone (Huizhou Dayawan ETDZ) was set up as a state-level development zone in 1993. In 2006, the zone was granted permission by the State Council to expand its designated area from 9.98 km2 to 23.6 km2. Huizhou Export Processing Zone (Huizhou EPZ) is situated within the Huizhou Dayawan ETDZ, and is still under construction. The official operation of Huizhou EPZ is expected to start in 2009.
Huizhou Dayawan ETDZ is located in the Dayawan District, which is located in the southern part of Huizhou in the Pearl River Delta. The zone borders Shenzhen to the west, and is less than 90 km from Hong Kong. Huizhou Port, also situated in Dayawan District, is home to sixty berths, sixteen of which have a cargo-handling capacity of over 10,000 tons. In 2007, Huizhou Port, being one of fifteen major coastal ports in China, handled 23.2 million tons of cargo. Transport conditions are favorable in Huizhou; Huizhou-Aotou Road, running through Huizhou Dayawan ETDZ, is connected with Shenzhen-Shantou Highway, Guangzhou-Shantou Highway and Huizhou-Yancheng Highway. The sub-line of Beijing-Kowloon Railway passes through the zone.
The zone can be reached easily by air. It is 70 km away from Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, 150 km away from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and 120 km away from Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok International Airport. All of these three airports are within two hours' drive of the zone.
