On November 8, the 2024 Global Investment Promotion Conference for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will take place in Guangzhou. What new highlights will this year’s event have? What new goals do Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao have for investment cooperation?
The 2024 conference will continue the theme “Invest the Greater Bay Area for a Brighter Future,” focusing on a new positioning and mission of “one point and two regions.” The goal is to create a global investment brand, and deepen economic and trade cooperation with areas such as the New York Bay Area, Tokyo Bay Area, and San Francisco Bay Area, as well as ASEAN, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and South Pacific Island nations that are part of the Belt and Road Initiative. It aims to showcase the achievements of the Greater Bay Area’s development, attract high-quality global resources, and accelerate the establishment of a world-class bay area.
As of October 23, over 430 representatives from foreign business associations, including the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, as well as from Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders such as ExxonMobil, BASF, Tesla, Pfizer, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, and Airbus, have confirmed their attendance. Notably, it is well-received by companies in emerging productive sectors, including artificial intelligence, low-altitude economy, new energy storage, biomedicine, high-end equipment, and clean technology.
This year’s conference will feature a series of activities labeled “1+9+N,” which includes one main event, nine sessions on the Pearl River Delta cities, and multiple domestic and international roadshows and industry investment activities. The main event will consist of a Theme Conference, a Dialogue with Multinational Companies, Top 100 Foreign-invested Enterprises in Guangdong Launching Ceremony, Investment Policy Promotion Conferences for Pearl River Delta cities and the Greater Bay Area, Thematic Industrial Application Scenario Investment Activity, 2024 China (Guangdong)-U.S. Clean Technology Industry Matchmaking Conference, GDToday Salon Sharing Session on Foreign Trade, Foreign Investment, Outsourcing, Foreign Economic Cooperation and Foreign Intellectual Resources, Investment Achievements Exhibition, and Greater Bay Area Night.
Notably, this year’s conference will feature “four firsts”: the first thematic industrial application scenario investment activity, the first achievements exhibition, the first top 100 foreign-invested enterprises in Guangdong launching ceremony, and the first sharing session on foreign trade, foreign investment, outsourcing, foreign economic cooperation, and foreign intellectual resources.
Compared to the previous two editions, this year’s event will stand out in four key areas: brand building, project effectiveness, tripartite cooperation, and innovative formats.
In terms of projects, the conference will prioritize the real economy and manufacturing, focusing on 20 strategic industrial clusters and five future industry clusters in the province. It aims to attract Fortune Global 500 companies and specialized, refined, differential and innovative enterprises through business-led initiatives, and to sign a number of large-scale manufacturing projects, headquarters projects, and foreign-funded R&D centers.
In terms of format, the main event will debut a specialized industrial application scenario investment activity, showcasing “opportunity lists” for industrial needs and “capability lists” for industrial applications across five emerging productive sectors: artificial intelligence, low-altitude economy, new energy storage, biomedicine, and high-end equipment. It will highlight applications with significant market potential, good investment returns, and strong demonstrative effects, promoting new technologies, products, and business models to propel the implementation and upgrade of cutting-edge technologies and innovative products.
