Global players set to gather at international industry convention The 2021 World Manufacturing Convention will kick off on Friday in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, adding a further boost to the provincial government's ambition to become a regional hub for smart manufacturing among domestic and global players. The four-day event, approved by the State Council, aims to deepen manufacturing ties between Anhui and the world, and is expected to attract a large number of participants from countries and regions across the world, including those involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. The convention, with a focus on digital empowerment and high-quality development, will be held both online and offline. A special exhibition area of 27,000 square meters at Hefei Binhu International Convention and Exhibition Center will host 23 major events categorized into four aspects-opening and closing ceremonies, keynote forums, 600 project matchmaking activities and 10 parallel forums. South Korea will be the country of honor at the conference, while Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang will be the regions of honor. During the past three sessions of the annual WMC, a total of 1,752 projects have been signed with a total investment of 1.8 trillion yuan ($281.5 billion), and 1,518 of those projects have started construction. Manufacturing is the foundation of the national economy and provides fundamental support for high-quality development. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the added value of China's manufacturing industry surpassed that of the United States in 2010, making China the largest manufacturing country in the world. Party secretary of the province Zheng Shanjie said the new mission entrusted by the central authorities to Anhui is to create an important and influential source of scientific and technological innovation, a gathering place for emerging industries, a new center for reform and opening-up, and a comprehensive green transformation zone for economic and social development. He noted that it is necessary for Anhui to further accelerate the progress in investment projects, while paying close attention to industrial innovation and keeping up with emerging industries and core technologies. Thus, the province should actively promote the transformation of more scientific and technological achievements into real productivity, he said. Meanwhile, it is also imperative to improve the internationalization of Anhui's cities, manage the pilot free trade zone in the province well, and elevate the level of opening-up to the outside world, striving to create a modern and beautiful Anhui, Zheng said. Anhui Governor Wang Qingxian stressed that technological innovation as an outstanding advantage in Anhui's development, and it should vigorously attract investment and talents, putting scientific and technological innovation at the forefront. It is necessary to make investment and project management a core part of economic work in Anhui, supporting high-quality development with high-quality investment, he said. The province should use modern marketing and other means to innovate industrial development models in a bid to continuously improve people's livelihood and promote common prosperity, Wang said. Through the annual WMC, the construction and implementation of a number of large projects have made positive contributions to Anhui's steady economic growth and the upgrading of its industries.
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