Marvelous Shaanxi shines with ambitious economic cooperation week

Shaanxi province in northwestern China has been expanding its presence by launching activities in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao - to increase business deals and trade.

Organized by the Shaanxi provincial government, the eighth Shaanxi-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Economic Cooperation Week kicked off last Saturday, launching several events to promote commerce in the fields of innovation, trade and culture.

With the goal of boosting all-round cooperation among Shaanxi, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao and push forward the opening-up in the new era, the event runs to this Saturday.

The organizers said they are holding nine major activities in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao - covering such fields as technological innovation, financial services, modern logistics and tourism.

The cooperation week is a major push for Shaanxi to attract business and investment, said Zhao Runmin, head of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Commerce.

It is also an important measurement to commemorate 40 years of reform and opening-up and to boost economic development, in a bid for the province to make major progress in the new era, he added.

On Saturday, an exhibition of leading Shaanxi products was opened in Guangzhou, covering an area of 5,000 square meters and attracting more than 200 companies.

The exhibition, which concluded on Monday, was divided into three areas: exhibiting products, sales and business exchanges. It focused on displaying the strengths and achievements of Shaanxi's industries in culture and creative tourism, high technology, advanced manufacturing, branded agricultural specialties and food delicacies.

As a highlight of this year's event, Shaanxi scheduled activities in Hong Kong from Tuesday to Thursday - trade cooperation conferences, and four themed activities: Tourism promotions, financial collaboration, cultural industry projects and developing technological innovation.

A tourism activity, for example, featuring the culture of Shaanxi, was launched in Hong Kong on Tuesday. It had performances with themes on the Terracotta Warriors and the Silk Road.

There was also a cultural exhibition that provided the public with an experience of Shaanxi's charms through a picture wall, examples of regional handwork and an audio visual presentation.

On Wednesday, there is a cultural tourism promotion and themed forum in Hong Kong and on Friday there will be a cultural tourism promotional event in Macao.

Regarded as one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization, the province has many historic cultural sites and rich tourism resources such as the Silk Road tourism projects and the Yellow River tourism belt.

To leverage these resources and explore new areas of business, officials from cities in Shaanxi province - including Baoji, Yulin, Ankang and Hanzhong - are visiting companies in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao during cooperation week. They are focusing on new energy, new materials, high-end equipment manufacturing and cultural tourism.

Over the past five years, the province's capital city Xi'an has been promoting communications - not only with Hong Kong, but also with cities around the world by setting up an all-round traffic system based on its geographical advantages.

Besides transportation networks in terms of highways, railways and airlines, more than 10 freight routes have been put into operation, transporting goods to and from Xi'an to Amsterdam and Chicago.

The massive project to extend Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, regarded as a new starting point for the city to be connected with the world, will provide 58 overseas routes to 47 cities, including Paris, Moscow and Sydney.

The city has issued a series of supporting policies and plans to facilitate international visits. More than 20 countries have established consular and visa centers in the city.

The city has also developed cross-border e-commerce business, called an "online Silk Road". At present, more than 240 companies have registered on its online platform.

This year, Shaanxi is ramping up its efforts to develop its economy and create a sound business investment environment by utilizing its advantages in transportation, opening-up, personnel resources and the development of its trade zone.

Besides the Shaanxi-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Economic Cooperation Week, some other international activities have also been held in Shaanxi, which have strengthened exchanges and cooperation between the province and countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Third Silk Road International Exposition was held in May. It was attended by more than 1,900 overseas delegates from 75 countries and regions such as the United Kingdom, Malaysia and the Philippines.

More than 40 activities were organized at the expo, including an international cooperation forum and an education cooperation conference, with themes covering more than 20 fields such as finance, law and education.

liangkaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn

The eighth Shaanxi-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Economic Cooperation Week kicks off on Saturday. It will see the launch of several events promoting commerce in the fields of innovation, trade and culture. Photos provided to China Daily