The High-End Forum on Production Capacity Cooperation and Innovative Development of the 2016 Guangdong 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo (the “Theme Forum of the 2016 Guangdong 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo” for short) will be held in Guangzhou on October 28. At the forum, ministers from different countries and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and other high-level think tanks will share their experience. The international sister cities of Guangzhou are planning to release a joint initiative on port cities. In addition, attention will be paid to the construction of cross-border industrial parks, such as the China-Saudi Arabia (Jizan) Economic City. Yesterday morning, a news briefing about the forum was held, revealing the highlights of the forum.

 

From January to September, Guangzhou established 24 enterprises and organizations in countries along “the Belt and Road”, such as Thailand and Vietnam, and the total investment under contracts reached RMB410 million, including RMB390 million from the Chinese parties, increasing by over two times year-on-year.

 

The forum themed on “Production Capacity Cooperation and Innovative Development” will include discussions about a number of topics centering on what Guangdong and countries along the “Maritime Silk Road” can do to complement each other's advantages, launch cooperation in production capacity in a wider range of fields, promote investment in infrastructure and innovate on cooperation coordination mechanisms. The forum will consist of the theme forum, namely the Ministers’ Dialogue on Production Capacity Cooperation and Innovative Development, and three sub-forums, including the “Maritime Silk Road” International Think Tank Forum cum. Forum on Strategic Cooperation with ASEAN, the 2016 Guangzhou Roundtable of International Sister Cities and the Promotion Conference for Investment in Saudi Arabia.

 

Dialogue of officials at ministerial level from different countries about production capacity cooperation and innovative development

 

The rankings of the officials from countries along the “Maritime Silk Road” to attend the forum are much higher than that of those to any of former sessions of the Theme Forum of the 2016 Guangdong 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo. Of them, there will be 19 political dignitaries and officials from 17 countries, including former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, former Nepali Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and officials from Pakistan and other countries, 58 leaders of foreign chambers of industry and commerce, such as the Amman (Jordan) Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and about 800 representatives of famous multinationals. In addition, Jiang Zengwei, chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and Justin Yifu Lin, vice chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, will be invited and deliver speeches at the forum.

 

Officials at ministerial level and above from six countries, including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Sierra Leone, Indonesia and Malaysia, will be invited to have a dialogue. Justin Yifu Lin and officials from the government of Guangzhou will attend the dialogue.

 

Through the dialogue, discussions about China’s strategic decisions and opportunities for promoting the Chinese enterprises to “go global” and accelerating international cooperation in production capacity, the demands of countries along the “Maritime Silk Road” for infrastructure construction and opportunities for cooperation in production capacity will be made.

 

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and other high-level think tanks to share their experience

 

The forum will also attract a number of high-level think tanks. Dr. Luky Eko Wuryanto, vice president and chief administration officer of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, will deliver a keynote speech themed on “International Experience in Production Capacity Cooperation and Prospects” to analyze and interpret related cases.  

 

The Silk Road Fund mainly focuses on investment in infrastructure construction, resource development, industrial cooperation and financial cooperation related to “the Belt and Road”. Ding Guorong, deputy general manager of the Silk Road Fund will give an explanation on the operation modes and investment concepts for supporting Chinese technical standards and equipment to go global, introducing international advanced technologies and management modes, promoting industrial restructuring and upgrading and launching international cooperation in energy.

 

At the “Maritime Silk Road” International Think Tank Forum cum. Forum on Strategic Cooperation with ASEAN to be sponsored by Guangdong Institute for International Strategies, Liang Haiming, president and chief economist of China Silk Road iValley Research Institute, some other scholars at high-level think tanks, consuls of the ASEAN countries and people in charge of the Thai (Rayong) Industrial Park, Ethiopian Industrial Park and other projects will make in-depth discussions about international cooperation in production capacity and construction of cross-border industrial parks and other topics.

 

International sister cities to release a joint initiative on port cities

 

At the 2016 Guangzhou Roundtable of International Sister Cities, 20 international sister cities, such as Kuwait City (Kuwait), Bangkok (Thailand) and Surabaya (Indonesia), will sign the Initiative on Supporting Guangzhou to Establish Port City Liaison Mechanism, aiming to integrate the port resources of the sister cities and further facilitate the trade communication and investment and construction cooperation between Guangzhou and other large ports all over the world.

 

It was learnt that, so far, Guangzhou has established sister city relations with 36 cities of 33 countries in six continents and international friendly cooperation and communication city relations with 25 cities.

 

At the Promotion Conference for Investment in Saudi Arabia, presentations on the projects of the China-Saudi Arabia (Jizan) Economic City and the Malaysian Cross-Border Industrial Park and other specific projects will be made. Officials from related departments of the government of Saudi Arabia will introduce the investment environment of Saudi Arabia to the entrepreneurs. The Chinese party will make an explanation of the planning and supporting facilities for the China-Saudi Arabia (Jizan) Economic City. In addition, two Guangdong-based enterprises with investment in Saudi Arabia will share their experience on site. Emphasis will be laid on promoting projects of chemical engineering, steel, household appliance and auto industries to settle down at the China-Saudi Arabia (Jizan) Economic City.

 

Source: Translated from Invest Guangzhou, October 25, 2016