Shaanxi looks to event as major showcase for its trade credentials

Shaanxi province, a honored guest at the China International Fair for Investment and Trade 2015 to be held in Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian province, from Tuesday to Friday, plans to further open up its economy by promoting exchanges and cooperation at the fair.

"We will make full use of the CIFIT platform and our position as the fair's honored guest to fully demonstrate and publicize Shaanxi's investment environment, investment advantages, industrial policies and development achievements, in order to attract more cooperation from domestic and overseas investors and businesses," said Wang Lixia, the deputy governor of Shaanxi and head of the Shaanxi provincial delegation to the fair.

With the theme of "Introducing FDI and Going Global" the fair will focus on implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and promotion of bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation and exchanges.

This is the first time that Shaanxi has been invited as the honored guest province, and it has sent a large delegation comprising many government departments and enterprises to the fair, Wang said.

According to the Shaanxi provincial department of commerce, the delegation is bringing more than 600 projects to the fair including modern agriculture, energy and chemistry, high-tech and equipment manufacturing to look for investment and cooperation.

"We will find partners for the projects displayed in the fair by online matchmaking, reservation negotiations and talks at the fair," said Wang.

The enterprises participating in the fair include equipment manufacturing, aerospace, biomedicine, energy saving, environmental protection, green food, electronic commerce, small and micro companies, and the products are divided into three major categories of more than 50 types.

During the fair, Shaanxi province will participate in CIFIT news conferences, the Silk Road development exchange, the opening ceremony of CIFIT, the opening ceremony for the Shaanxi province exhibition hall, a matchmaking project entitled "The Silk Road starting point - the Charm of Shaanxi province", a Shaanxi-Fujian exchanges and cooperation forum on the construction of the Belt and Road, meetings with domestic and foreign guests and businessmen at the fair and a study tour of Xiamen Park in the Fujian (Pilot) Free Trade Zone.

The province is also organizing a global e-commerce conference, 2015 cross-Straits economic cooperation and development forum and key industries matchmaking, as well as other activities for the fair.

Shaanxi is an inland province in Northwest China with a total area of 205,800 square kilometers and population of 37.75 million. The provincial capital Xi'an is a world-renowned historical and cultural city and the starting point of the ancient Silk Road.

The province has rich natural resources and ranks top in the country for the potential economic value of its mineral resources. The province also has strong scientific and educational strength with 1,076 research institutes and 96 universities and colleges.

As one of the China's traditional industrial bases, Shaanxi has good industrial conditions and its energy and chemistry, equipment manufacturing, high technology, tourism and culture sectors have been developing rapidly.

Since the implementation of the Western Development Strategy, Shaanxi has achieved sound and rapid economic development with its GDP growing swiftly in recent years. In 2014, it had the seventh-fastest growth rate in China and its GDP growth reached 1.77 trillion yuan ($278.46 billion).

According to the provincial department of commerce, 80 Fortune 500 companies have set up 130 branches in Shaanxi and more and more domestic and foreign businesses are investing in and cooperating with the province.

Contact the writers at luhongyan@chinadaily.com.cn and malie@chinadaily.com.cn