The Entrepreneurs' Symposium of Service Outsourcing Industry was held on Feb 10 in Dandong, a coastal city in Liaoning province. The Dandong municipal government plans to put forward preferential policies to attract foreign service outsourcing enterprises and support the development of domestic ones.

Service outsourcing refers to transferring one or several links in the production process from one company to specialized companies. It is widely used in fields such as IT service, finance, accounting, client services, research and development and products design.

The Dandong government plans to set up special funds to support service outsourcing companies applying for national certification and public listing. Meanwhile, enterprises settling in the city's software base will be granted subsidies for rent and land premiums.

Dandong currently has 50 software and service outsourcing companies, with fewer than 10 specializing in the business. About 2,700 employees work in the industry, 800 of whom engage in research and development. In 2011, the city's business income from service outsourcing industry reached 30 million yuan ($4.76 million).

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Rakhee M