A conference of over 180 Zhejiang businesspeople is held in Huzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account:huzhoufabu]

Huzhou has recently been attempting to attract more "Zheshang", or businesspeople from Zhejiang province, to fuel the city's development. 

On Oct 14, a conference of over 180 businesspeople in the province commenced in the city.

Chen Tiexiong, vice chairman of the Zhejiang Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), expressed hope that Zhejiang businesspeople would contribute more to Zhejiang's development amid the province's drive to build itself into a model of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era and to pursue the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region. 

He also expressed hope that their time in Huzhou would encourage them to take part in green development by adhering to the philosophy that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets".

Huzhou places a high value on enterprises, making it a hotspot for innovation, entrepreneurship and creation as well as an ideal place to pursue dreams, said Ma Xiaohui, secretary of the CPC Huzhou Municipal Committee.

He hoped that more entrepreneurs would invest in Huzhou and pledged that the local government will spare no effort to optimize the local business climate.

Huzhou also signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the Yangtze River Delta Zhejiang Businessmen Alliance and the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai during the conference.

Agreements for a total of 44 investment projects worth 45.37 billion yuan ($6.58 billion) were also reached during the conference. The projects involved a variety of sectors, including high-end equipment and biomedicine.