Zhanjiang had 36 key projects either break ground or become operational on Saturday, a timely gift to the nation's celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The projects involve capital of 77.6 billion yuan ($10.89 billion) and belong to fields ranging from high-tech and growth industries to infrastructure, welfare and public facilities.

A key project is the expansion of Zhanjiang Port's current 300,000-tonnage deepwater channel into a 400,000-tonnage one, which has investment of 3.87 billion yuan.

The project is expected to turn Zhanjiang Port into the only world-class deepwater port and wharf in South China capable of accommodating 400,000-tonnage vessels, the largest in the world, when it is completed in a year's time.