The 2021 China (Changzhou) International Forum on Science and Technology & Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation convened on the afternoon of October 9.

Hui Jianlin, vice governor of Jiangsu province, announced the opening of the forum.

Sheng Lei, deputy Party chief and acting mayor of Changzhou, hosted the opening ceremony.

Chen Jinhu, Party chief of Changzhou, delivered a speech on behalf of the Municipal People’s Government.

Chen said in his speech that Changzhou, having a history of over 3,200 years, is a culturally significant city and leading manufacturing base in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD).

He stated that Changzhou has promoted leap-forward development in a comprehensive way towards building a moderately prosperous society. These efforts have already paid off in the city’s pursuit of strong economic development, high quality of life, a beautiful environment, and a high level of civilization.

He pointed out that the next five years are crucial for Changzhou to forge ahead and grasp new development opportunities. It will grow towards an international star city of intelligent manufacturing and a pivotal hub in the YRD region.

Looking forward, in the next five years, Changzhou will see a significant improvement in its status as a transportation hub, grasping the best “timing and trend� from planned developments. The city is more eager than ever to attract talents and projects. It is also more qualified than ever to help people achieve their goals and fulfill their ambitions.

Chen mentioned Changzhou’s advantages of being “seated in the middle of YRD and included in two economic belts, with a highly developed transportation network�? which will be further highlighted in the progress of becoming a modern logistics center with a hub economy.

Meanwhile, the China-Israel, China-Germany, China-Europe, and China-Switzerland industrial parks in the city will see fast and sound development.

Changzhou gives strong support for high-quality projects with efficient measures, said Chen.

The city provides comprehensive support in crucial areas such as technology, capital, and talent to help enterprises accelerate their development.

In terms of integrated development among different sectors, Chen talked about the strong growth of ten clusters in advanced manufacturing and eight high-growth industrial chains.

In terms of business environment improvement, he mentioned the ongoing downtown revitalization project, the High-Speed Rail New Town, and the innovation zone between West Taihu Lake and Changdang Lake.

At the end of his speech, Chen sincerely invited people with vision to visit and invest in Changzhou, a picturesque, culturally rich, and vibrant place to create another development miracle.

At the opening ceremony, 27 industrial projects were signed with total investment exceeding 63 billion yuan.

The 10-billion-yuan Science and Technology Innovation Fund and an angel fund of 6 billion yuan were unveiled at the event.

Twelve major cooperation projects among different funds were signed with the overall scale exceeding 20 billion yuan.

Seven foreigners working in the city received the Honorary Citizen of Changzhou certificates at the ceremony.

The West Taihu Lake International Community and Hanjianglu International Street were officially unveiled.

Fu Zuojun, vice president of Shenzhen Inovance Technology Co., Ltd., and Ma Qinghai, general manager of SMC Investment Management China Co., Ltd., delivered speeches at the event.

Irit Ben-Abba Vitale, Israeli Ambassador to China, and Günther Schmid, Head of the Foreign Trade Department at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economics, Labor and Housing, delivered speeches via video.