BRI investment promotion conference to kick off in Ningxia

A three-day "Belt and Road" Investment Promotion Conference, one of the events of the 5th China-Arab States Expo, will be held in Yinchuan, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region on August 18, according to a report from a press conference  held on July 28.

With the theme of "Opportunities, Future, and Sustainability", the conference aims to promote the construction of the Belt and Road, facilitate economic and trade cooperation, and establish an international exchange and cooperation platform for Chinese and foreign companies to expand business, seek cooperation opportunities, and promote the sustainable development of investment.

The conference will consist of three parts: keynote speeches and project results release, the signing ceremonies of cooperation projects, and guest interviews. Parallel meetings on investment and cooperation for multinational companies in Ningxia, investment promotion for overseas economic and trade cooperation zones, and investment promotion for Belt and Road countries will also be held.

The conference will feature more appealing topics, a wider scope of participation, be of a higher quality and level, have more fruitful results in project investment and cooperation, and have a more innovative and professional organization model, said Chen Shengrong, deputy director of the conference department of the executive committee of the Fifth China-Arab States Expo, deputy head of the preparatory group for the investment promotion conference, and first-class inspector of the Department of Commerce of Ningxia.

The conference strives to boost exchanges, communication, and pragmatic cooperation in the political, academic, industrial and commercial circles of countries and regions involved in the trade, investment, infrastructure construction, and sustainable development of the Belt and Road Initiative, Chen added. 

In addition, a variety of activities, including forums, talks, investment promotion meetings, on-site inspections, and negotiations will be hosted during the event to bring market and growth opportunities to our partners, Chen said, adding the need to work on the establishment of an open, inclusive, and win-win cooperation pattern for all.

The Minister of Trade and Industry of Egypt and the Permanent Secretary of the National Investment Authority of Pakistan will give speeches through a video recording.

Participants of the conference include ambassadors and counselors from the UAE, Qatar, Sudan, Morocco, and Algeria to China; 128 representatives from 30 large central State-owned enterprises; and 840 guests from 26 commercial departments at provincial, municipal and district levels across China and from local enterprises.

Representatives from research institutions and universities, 21 Chinese chambers of commerce and five chambers of commerce of foreign countries in China, as well as multinational companies will also join the event.

As of now, the conference has solicited 23 investment and cooperation projects from Belt and Road countries to be conducted by national, provincial and municipal governments, central State-owned enterprises, and local enterprises in Ningxia.

There are nine overseas investment projects, five overseas engineering contracting projects in the fields of wind power, petrochemical, and steel production, three foreign investment projects, and six trade cooperation projects.

The conference is sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of China, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and the People's Government of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It is co-organized by the China International Contractors Association, the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, and the Department of Commerce of Ningxia.