Tianjin showcases biz cooperation opportunities

More than 60 enterprises and institutional representatives from countries including the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain, have inked cooperation agreements with local Tianjin firms covering advanced manufacturing and biomedicine, as the city pushes forward opening-up and industrial collaboration.

The deals were signed during the 2026 Multinational Enterprises Visit To Tianjin, held from Wednesday to Friday.

The event also saw Chinese and overseas players plan joint research and development centers, alongside the signing of framework pacts for international trade and supply-chain cooperation.

Multiple key Belt and Road Initiative projects on energy, infrastructure and the circular economy have landed in Tianjin.

Municipal authorities said local State-owned giants including Tianjin Benefo Machinery Equipment Group Co Ltd and Tianjin Rail Transit Group Co Ltd have delivered landmark Central Asia projects, including the Astana light rail scheme, injecting momentum into Tianjin's high-standard opening-up.

Henry Balares from Uruguay, who has lived and worked in China for three years, welcomed the matchmaking opportunity.

"This event creates a good platform for companies to learn about the market and expand partnerships," he said.

His firm frequently serves South American clients, and the tour helped him source new suppliers and competitive products.

Ahmed, a Yemeni representative who declined to give his full name, said this was his first deep dive into Tianjin's advanced industries, and his delegation collected corporate contacts for future business talks.

"Advanced technologies available in Tianjin could be a major draw for our Italian company," said Pierre Restori from Italy.

"We can explore local innovation ecosystems to develop or upgrade technologies imported from Italy."

Du Pengxuan contributed to this story.

yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn