On the afternoon of September 28, the 2018 China Changzhou International Forum on Sci-Tech & Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation opened grandly in Changzhou. The theme this year is “With 40 years of joint efforts to open up, let us start a new journey together.� Responding to the initiative of “the year for upgrading big and important project� and focusing on pushing forward the development of the 2.0 edition of �?0 major industrial chains� and modern service industry, Changzhou is to conduct an all-round investment promotion covering all factors and promote its image and influence in the world.

Party Secretary Wang Quan attended the forum and delivered a speech.Mayor Ding Chun hosted the opening ceremony.

Mr. A. Evsikov, Consul General of Russian Consulate General in Shanghai, Mr. Olivie Zehnder, Consul General of Swiss Consulate General in Shanghai, Mr. Kyraubayev Zhoshykhan, Consul General of Kazakh Consulate General in Shanghai, and Mr. Saidkamol Agzamkhodjaev, Consul General of Uzbek Consulate General in Shanghai, attended the opening ceremony. City leaders Yu Zhiping, Cai Jun, Han Jiuyun, Xu Guanghui, Zhou Bin, Bai Yunping, Chen Jianguo, Fang Guoqiang, Liang Yibo and Zhang Yaogang were present at the event.

In his speech, Wang Quan said that this year’s Forum coincides with the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up.As a coastal city that first opened to the outside world, Changzhou has accomplished the transfer from an agricultural area to an industrial city starting from the “southern Jiangsu model,� the transfer from a domestically-oriented economy to overseas-oriented economy in the opening up process including the big opportunity of opening and development of Pudong, and has been accelerating its transfer from the quantitative growth to high quality development. Changzhou has always upheld the opening concept and energetically pushed forward the interaction between opening up and reform and the integration between opening up and innovation. Changzhou has been striving to push forward its opening up in the direction of optimizing structure, deepenign cooperation and raising efficiency. Changzhou has now become one of the Chinese cities that have robustest economy.

Wang also pointed out that the best way to mark the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up is to go further and deeper in our reform and opening up. He stated that with more active opening attitude and more efficient opening measures, we will seize the great opportunities of “the Belt and Road,� the Yangtze River economic belt and the construction of the urban agglomeration along the Yangtze River to widely introduce and gather fine resources from home and abroad. We will strive to build a “highland� for modern industries and accelerate the development of newly rising and strategic sectors led by new generation information technology and the development of advanced manufacturing. We will accelerate the construction of Southern Jiangsu National Demonstration Area fro Innovation and an industrial innovation center in the Yangtze River Delta with special features. Changzhou is to become a high quality industrial star city, and a “friends� circle� that attracts people from near and far. As the image and influence of the city are raised and the attractiveness for investment and talents introduction is enhanced, the high quality tourist star city will be built. Aiming at the first-class standard and best practice in the world and with a spirit of always striving for the best, Changzhou will optimize government management, upgrade urban management, improve enterprise management, innovate social management so as to build a high quality management star city. With a perfect combination of its fine appearance and nice contents, Changzhou will become an ideal place for talents and entrepreneurs to fulfill their dreams and start up businesses.

As a window and platform for opening up to the outside world, the China Changzhou International Forum on Sci-Tech & Economic and Trade Cooperation has been held for 13 consecutive years. Each one has been of higher grade, bigger influence and more fruitful than the previous one. Through this forum we have known a lot of excellent entrepreneurs, scholars and friends from home and abroad, and witnessed signing of over 250 key projects. More than 1,200 projects have started construction or production during prior forums, including excellent projects conducted by Thyssenkrupp, Siemens, Agco, and so on, making great contribution to Changzhou’s economic and social development.

There will be a wide variety of outstanding activities at the forum including 60 special activities in three categories, such as the photo exhibition about the 40 years of reform of opening-up, ceremonies for contract-signing, project commencing or completion and different