Deals made at Mianyang high-tech expo

By HUANG ZHILING in Mianyang, Sichuan province (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2015-09-21 03:27

Unmanned planes are showcased. Huang Zhiling / www.chinadaily.com.cn

A robot that could be changed into both a transformer and a car was on display in the third China (Mianyang) Science and Technology City International High-Tech Expo, which ended on Sept 19. Huang Zhiling / www.chinadaily.com.cn

The third China (Mianyang) Science and Technology City International High-Tech Expo concluded in Mianyang, Sichuan province, on Sept 19.

During the four-day expo, agreements pertaining to 314 projects worth 106 billion yuan ($17 billion) were signed. Of all the projects, 156 involved the industrial sector and were worth more than 74 billion yuan.

Electronic information, equipment manufacturing, new energy and e-commerce accounted for nearly 92 percent of the funds, said Peng Yuxing, Party chief of Mianyang.

Co-sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Sichuan provincial government, the expo drew 510,000 visitors to its exhibition area of 80,000 square meters with 819 domestic and overseas exhibitors from 47 countries and regions in the world.

The exhibitors showcased 8,647 products involving information security and the Internet of Things as well as 3D printing, robots, unmanned planes and new-energy cars.

Mianyang, the second-largest city in Sichuan, is China's only science and technology city, approved by the central government in the year 2000.

Last year, its GDP was nearly 106 billion yuan. Nearly 7 percent of the money found its way into scientific research and development, said Zhang Jinming, deputy Party chief of Mianyang.