Multinationals eye Yantai for green growth, innovation

The Multinational Corporations Yantai Business Tour brought fresh cooperation opportunities and new business partnerships. Held in Haiyang, Shandong province, on Sept 9, the event drew more than 200 representatives from multinational companies and international business associations.

Under the theme "Multinational Corporations and Yantai: Advancing Green Development, Pursuing Innovation, Forging the Future", the event sought deeper cooperation across industries, technology, capital and markets amid the global green transition.

Local authorities, districts and enterprises delivered thematic presentations at the opening ceremony. Eight projects covering smart manufacturing, finance and trade were signed, including five industrial investment projects and three trade agreements.

Zhang Mingkang, mayor of Yantai, said the city can offer multinationals a well-developed industrial ecosystem, stable and abundant clean energy, fully functional development platforms and a world-class business environment, and expressed hope for long-term cooperation mechanisms and win-win outcomes.

Following the ceremony, eight one-on-one business matchmaking sessions were held for detailed project discussions. Delegates later toured industrial parks and leading local manufacturers.

"I am particularly optimistic about the solid automotive industry foundation here and the strong ethos of welcoming foreign investment and new technologies," said Jost Gartner, managing director of ALUMAG Automotive GmbH, who is keen to promote Yantai to a wider global audience.

Dario Martinez Rodriguez, chief commercial officer of MABI Robotic AG, described Yantai as a city with "a well-established manufacturing industrial chain and rich application scenarios for high-end manufacturing".

One of China's first coastal cities open to foreign trade, Yantai has attracted over 100 Fortune Global 500 companies and was named a "golden city" by the World Bank for its investment climate. Its six 100-billion-yuan ($14.8 billion) industrial clusters and over 20 million kilowatts of clean energy capacity make it a strategic base for multinationals operating in China and serving global markets.