New money flows in during trade festival
Xi'an Hi-Tech Industries Development Zone signed agreements on 20 large projects with investors from all over the world during the Xi'an Global IP Business Festival earlier this month, securing investment worth 143.6 billion yuan ($20.85 billion).
The projects in the high-tech zone cover finance, smart manufacturing and headquarters for multinational companies and institutions, as well as biomedicines, culture, education, sports and other infrastructure.
The investments will lead to several new landmarks in the hightech zone and Xi'an as well.
For instance, the Jinmao Silk Road Financial Center will be a 666-meter skyscraper with a total investment of 15 billion yuan. And the Maike Central Innovation District will be another building surpassing 600 m.
The UNESCO Xi'an Women and Children's Education Center will also be a giant complex with a total investment of 15 billion yuan. It will be home to a museum, a hotel, offices, foreign consulates and apartments.
During the festival, which opened on Dec 7, Wang Bin, deputy Party chief of Xi'an Hi-Tech Industries Development Zone, introduced the zone and Xi'an's advantages as an investment destination.
He said Xi'an is one of the hot spots for high-tech investment in China because of its rich resources in education, sciences and technologies.
As a growth engine of Xi'an, Wang said the high-tech zone is also one of the most favored destinations in China for innovation and entrepreneurship because of its well-developed infrastructure and complete industrial chain. He added that the zone has been twice awarded by the Asian Association of Business Incubation for its business environment.
Held at the same time with the Xi'an Global IP Business Festival was the Xi'an roadshow of the Maker in China International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
The Maker in China competition is an event sponsored by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which aims to create a networking platform for makers - corporations or individuals with high-tech project proposals - and investors.
This year's maker competitions have been held in more than 10 countries including China, the United Kingdom, Australia, Israel, South Korea, Russia, Germany and the United States, with nearly 1,300 project proposals put forward.
Thirty projects selected from the candidates, which are said to be of great market potential, were brought to the Xi'an roadshow, to seek prospective investors, according to organizers.
(China Daily 12/28/2018 page12)
