Western China investment fest sees deals worth billions of yuan signed, as Belt and Road nations seek greater collaboration, Zhuan Ti reports.

The 16th Western China International Fair, a State-level international expo, concluded in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on Nov 14 with fruitful results.

A total of 1,008 investment projects worth 787.7 billion yuan ($116.6 billion) were signed between investors from home and abroad.

Sichuan province attracted 836 investment projects, with total investments amounting to 657.3 billion yuan. Of them, 21 projects were signed with foreign investors, with total foreign investment reaching 17.5 billion yuan.

Tweleve provinces, municipality and autonomous regions in western China, as well as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, proposed another 3,131 projects worth 4.55 trillion yuan to investors from around the world during the event.

Debuting in 2000 as part of the central government's go-west campaign, the Western China International Fair picked Chengdu as its permanent home.

Over the years, the event has worked as an important platform for western China to boost its opening-up, and to facilitate investment and trade cooperation with foreign countries and other parts of China.

In March 2015, the event was listed as one of 10 major national exhibitions and conventions facilitating the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013.

Under the theme of "Western China, Opportunities for the World", the event this year lasted for nearly two weeks, attracting delegates from 91 countries and regions.

They included President of Guinea Alpha Conde, President of the Serb Republic Milorad Dodik, German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, and Afghanistan's Second Vice-President Mohammad Sarwar Danish.

As Germany is the guest of honor at the event, Vice-Chancellor Gabriel led a delegation of 500 members, including executives from Bayer AG, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Siemens AG.

The exhibition halls covered a total area of 200,000 square meters. According to the organizers, 16 countries set up national pavilions, more than any of the previous 15 sessions of the fair.

Nearly 9,000 companies from around the world attended the fair, including industrial giants, such as BMW AG, Daimler AG, Metro, DHL Express, Google Inc and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd.

A total of 3,069 companies from Sichuan province attended the fair, covering exhibition areas of 68,000 square meters.

The exhibition section of Sichuan features advanced industries such as advanced equipment manufacturing, aerospace, electronic information and new energy.

The fair highlighted elements of China's Belt and Road Initiative, with four halls featuring the initiative set up.

Exhibitors from 27 countries and regions along the Belt and Road attended the fair, with total exhibition area of 35,000 square meters.

Major activities, such as the opening ceremony, the eighth Western China International Cooperation Forum, and the ninth Western China Investment Promotion Fair, all had the Belt and Road Initiative as a major topic.

Wang Dongming, Party chief of Sichuan, said the province has great potential and bright prospects for development as it is located at the intersection of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The province is also a national pilot reform zone for all-round innovation and has a pilot free trade zone.

"We would like to share these development opportunities with countries around the world, to enhance cooperation in infrastructure construction, trade, advanced industries, and scientific and technological innovation, as well as culture, tourism, medical care and environmental protection," he said.

German Vice-Chancellor Gabriel said the German government and German companies were glad that the European country was the guest of honor at the fair, which offered a great chance for the two nations to deepen cooperation and exchanges in all areas.

He said he was impressed by the fast development of Sichuan province in recent years, and he looks forward to more German companies investing in Sichuan and western China, as well as more Sichuan companies going to Germany.

"The Belt and Road Initiative is a great creation," said Danish, second vice-president of Afghanistan. "It connects 64 countries and 4.5 billion people in the world, not only involving industry but also boosting cultural and social exchange between different civilizations."

He said the Belt and Road Initiative is of great importance to the development of Afghanistan, as the country was an important passage along the ancient Silk Road.

"Afghanistan is willing to take an active part in the construction of the Belt and Road," Danish said.

He said Afghanistan abounds in iron and copper ore, gemstones and stones for decoration. China can invest in the fields and Afghanistan can sell its products to China.

Dodik, president of the Serb Republic, said his country has cooperated with China in the construction of the Belt and Road.

With investment from China, construction of a thermal power station started in the Serb Republic last month. The main contract for the station is with Dongfang Electric Corp, a State-owned company headquartered in Chengdu.

The project has created more than 1,000 jobs in the Serb Republic and it is the largest direct foreign investment the country has received in recent years, he said.

This cooperation is only the beginning, Dodik said, and he expects deeper and wider cooperation with China in areas such as energy, transportation infrastructure, culture and education.

At the end of this year, a Confucius Institute will also be launched in the Serb Republic.

Contact the writer at zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

A visitor experiences virtual reality technologies at the 16th Western China International Fair in Chengdu, Sichuan province.Provided To China Daily

The fair enables visitors to shop around, seek business opportunities and experience the latest technologies.Photos Provided To China Daily

(China Daily 11/17/2016 page6)