Chongqing (INP):  The Smart China Expo 2021 Key Projects Signing Ceremony was held on August 23, where a total of 92 projects worth ¥252.4 billion (US$38.97 billion) were signed.

The number of projects signed live at the venue numbered 66 and involved a total contractual value of 207.3 billion Chinese yuan. These included 50 offline projects worth ¥167.5 billion, 16 online projects worth ¥39.8 billion, while the remaining 26 were contracted off-site totaled ¥45.1 billion.

In terms of the contract value, each project was valued at over at least ¥500 million, and the number of projects worth a total in excess of ¥1 billion numbered 81, an increase of 23 on last year. Finally, the number of projects worth over ¥5 billion stands at 19, increasing two compared with last year.

Intelligent manufacturing accounted for 40% of industry sectors, with 32 projects worth ¥101.6 billion. The digital economy accounted for 17%, with 20 projects worth ¥42.8 billion. Science and technology accounted for 18% with 17 projects worth ¥46 billion, and the remaining categories accounted for 25% with 23 projects valued at ¥62 billion.

In terms of investors, ten projects valued at ¥46.3 billion were signed with state enterprises (18%), 69 projects valued at ¥167 billion were signed with private enterprises (66%), five projects valued at ¥7.3 billion were signed with foreign enterprises (3%), and eight projects signed with other entities were valued at ¥31.8 billion (13%).

In addition, projects from Guizhou, Sichuan, and other provinces were also signed live at the Smart China Expo and represented a total investment of ¥3.2 billion.

A total of 92 projects were signed for multiple smart industries involving state, private, and foreign enterprises. (Photograph-Qian Bo)

A representative of the Chongqing Investment Promotion Bureau explained that since this year, the focus had been placed on the new generation of information technology and other strategic emerging industries, consolidation and upgrades to pillar industries such as electronics, thriving modern service industries such as the digital economy, and the enhancement of innovation capabilities.

During the pandemic, the role of online platforms has been promoted through cloud investment and negotiation. A number of measures have been taken to hold the signing ceremony for SCE2021 successfully. Meanwhile, Chongqing has continued to increase efforts into attracting investment and will further promote the launch of new projects and their realization.

The aim is to create a world-class business environment through joint efforts, ensure the 14th Five-Year Plan makes a solid start, and serve high-quality development that is both stable and long term.