What they say

I am lucky enough to have been living in Hefei for the past few years and have witnessed the rapid development of the city, while I carry out research for JAC Motors, one of the top 10 automobile manufacturers in China. JAC has performed extremely well in both domestic and overseas markets. I really admire the company's vision of "Better products, better society" and its persistence in building a green manufacturing system. Anhui province with its capital Hefei has become well known globally for its advanced manufacturing in recent years, but more can be done to promote the area to the outside world.

It could be achieved by organizing more international conventions and exhibitions and engaging local manufacturers in direct international technology transfer with their foreign counterparts. An "Anhui Welcomes the World" promotional and marketing campaign could be organized by the provincial government to attract more world-class companies to visit Anhui to strengthen the allocation of resources and find local strategic alliances.

Mohamed Noureldin, PhD candidate from USTC

Over the past five years, Hefei has ranked 12th out of 20 cities in the world in terms of the rapid rate of its economic growth. It has experienced a 15.5 percent GDP increase in the past five years because of effective local government policies. Hefei-based iFlyTek is a prime example of a leading industrial giant in China that has become renowned worldwide due to its quality and wide variety of products. Currently, a number of international firms are operating in Anhui. To bring more foreign direct investment to Hefei, especially in the high-tech sector, the local government and industries need to arrange meetings with representatives of foreign missions and sign memorandums of understanding for industrial and cultural exchanges and for the promotion of industrial exports. These bilateral ties can be enhanced through visits and joint ventures, industrial conventions, expos and conferences. The Belt and Road Initiative is helpful in linking China with the developed and developing economies via land and sea routes. As an example, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor is a flagship Belt & Road project, which will connect China and Pakistan through land. Under CPEC, a large number of Chinese industries are investing in Pakistan, especially in road infrastructure and the energy sector. Anhui too, is making use of this initiative.

Asad Abbas, PhD candidate from USTC

(China Daily 05/24/2018 page18)