PR99164

SHENZHEN, China, Dec. 12, 2022 /Xinhua=KYODO JBN/--

On December 9, 2022, the Shenzhen Global Investment Promotion Conference was

held. It led to the negotiation and signing of 315 project contracts, including

those with Amazon, Intel, and Maersk, encompassing a total planned investment

of 879 billion yuan.

From 2019 to 2021, the Shenzhen Global Investment Promotion Conference

witnessed the cumulative negotiation and signing of more than 600 projects;

these have resulted in a total intended investment of more than 2 trillion

yuan. In the past four years, along with steadily rising investment, a large

number of projects of strategic emerging industries, such as new energy,

electronic information, ecological protection, biomedicine, and new materials,

have been established and developed in Shenzhen.

Multinational corporations have been the eyewitnesses of China's opening up to

the outside world and important participants in China's economic and social

development. At this year's conference, foreign investment projects covered

various fields, including advanced manufacturing, new-generation information

technology, biomedicine and health, marine industry, and modern services.

"We plan to invest in the construction of, in the Yantian Comprehensive Bonded

Zone, an omnichannel, intelligent, and green integrated logistics center that

will influence the Asia-Pacific region in a positive way. We will work with

Shenzhen to explore the confirmation of carbon rights, investigate the

construction of carbon trading, and look into the possibilities of increasing

input in green fuel," said Caroline Wu, Managing Director of Greater China of

Maersk.

Maersk represents many foreign businesses that have contributed to the

development of Shenzhen and will progress along with this City of Innovation.

During the investment conference, 48 major projects, with international

influence and core competitiveness, were signed. BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu and

other well-known entrepreneurs called on the global market, "To invest in

Shenzhen is to invest in the future!"

"Once a border town and now an international metropolis, Shenzhen continues to

create miracles," said James Chang, Managing Partner of Regional Economic

Clusters and South Markets of PwC China. Today, nearly 360 Fortune 500

companies from 173 countries and regions have invested in Shenzhen.

Shenzhen's governmental departments, companies, and associations are also

constantly going out and getting deeply linked with global investors. The

activities of this conference cover 16 cities outside of China.

Throughout the Tokyo session, representatives, from the Shenzhen Economic and

Trade Office in Japan and the Japan-China Economic Association, signed a letter

of intent to jointly promote exchange and cooperation between Shenzhen and

Japanese businesses in the fields of new energy, energy conservation, and

environmental protection.

"We once again extend an invitation to global businessmen: Invest in Shenzhen,

Build a Winning Future," said Zhang Feimeng, Director of the Commerce Bureau of

Shenzhen Municipality. He said that Shenzhen will continue to strengthen the

protection of foreign investment, improve foreign investment services, and

facilitate and deepen investment and cooperation by holding a series of

activities, including policy presentations and investment promotions.

Statistics show that in the first 10 months of 2022, Shenzhen actually utilized

$9.179 billion of foreign investment, up 4.3% from the previous year.

The projects signed on site cover such fields as new-generation information

technology, digital fashion, green and low-carbon industries, biomedicine and

health, and marine industry. Wang Rui, Chair of Intel China, stated that

Intel's science and technology innovation center in the Greater Bay Area will

soon open in Shenzhen.

According to Frank Muhlon, the Chief Executive Officer of ABB's E-mobility

Business, which has previously invested in Shenzhen, Shenzhen is an open and

inclusive city with thriving high-tech industries. Among these industries in

particular, new energy vehicles are developing with strong momentum.

Among the 20 strategic emerging industry clusters and the 8 future industries

that Shenzhen plans to prioritize, many have performed well in the first three

quarters. For example, intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs) grew 44.5%, new

materials 22.6%, high-end medical devices 14.1%, and the marine economy 10.1%.

According to Wang Jun, Deputy Director of Development and Reform Commission of

Shenzhen Municipality, the business environment is an important part of the

city's core competitiveness and attractiveness, and Shenzhen has always

regarded the optimization of the business environment as the No. 1 reform

project. This year, Shenzhen introduced the Implementation Plan for Shenzhen as

a Pilot City of Innovative Business Environment Improvement, and initiated the

Greater Bay Area combined port program. Until now, Shenzhen Port has opened a

total of 26 combined port points, that cover nearly 90% of the cities in the

Greater Bay Area.

Apart from attracting businesses and investment, Shenzhen has spared no effort

to attract talent. The event on December 9 saw guests promoting Shenzhen and

welcoming entrepreneurs, investors, and scientists in "road show". Last month,

the well-known structural biologist Yan Ning announced in Shenzhen that she

would resign from her teaching position overseas to work full-time to help

create the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation. Statistics

show that in 2022, Shenzhen's full-time academicians grew by 12 to reach 86,

overseas returnees increased by 8,384 to break the 190,000-mark, and the total

number of high-level talent, from home and abroad, reached 22,000.

According to Zeng Yi, Chairman of China Electronics Corporation (CEC), whose

headquarters were moved to Shenzhen last year, Shenzhen has an advantage of a

talent highland. CEC had 11,000 openings according to its original global

school recruitment program, yet nearly 130,000 resumes were received, which was

12 times that of the openings. "In particular, the number of high-end talent,

applying for the Future Scientists Program that we are concerned about, is

about 25-30 times that of the openings."

"Shenzhen is the epitome of the strength, stability, resilience, and great

potential of China's economy," said Xue Zhandong, President of the Shenzhen

Meso-economy Institute. He said China's determination to expand its high-level

opening-up would not change, and the door of China's opening-up would only get

wider and wider.

Source: The Commerce Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality