The 9th Guangzhou Annual Investment Conference and the Forbes China Venture Capital Forum, also known as the "Investment Conference", was held in Guangzhou on April 18. This year's conference, with the theme of "Investing in Guangzhou is investing in the future", attracted Fortune 500 companies, state-owned enterprises, leading enterprises in various industries, global unicorn companies from 19 countries and regions, as well as 47 representatives from foreign consulates in Guangzhou.

443 projects signed

A total of 443 projects were signed at this year's investment conference, involving companies based in over ten countries and regions, such as the United States, France, and Germany. These projects cover emerging strategic industries such as advanced manufacturing, new-generation information technology, modern commerce, and new energy, among which 172 are manufacturing projects, accounting for about 40% of the total.

"Since 2015, Guangzhou has hosted the Guangzhou Annual Investment Conference for eight consecutive years, providing an important platform for high-level dialogues in terms of cooperation and development for elites from all walks of life, and providing strong support for promoting regional industrial transformation and upgrading and high-quality economic development," said Peter Lam, chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

Lam added that Hong Kong and Guangzhou have always been close partners. "In the fields of finance, shipping, trade logistics, innovation and technology, legal and mediation services, and other fields, Hong Kong can provide reliable, efficient, and high-quality professional services for Guangzhou and even the Greater Bay Area. By leveraging its advantages, Hong Kong can further promote Guangzhou's industrial transformation and upgrading and high-quality economic development, and bring more cooperation opportunities for Hong Kong and Guangzhou."

As a representative of investment in the Greater Bay Area, Yu Fang, President of Amway (China), shared their "Invest in Guangzhou" story at the investment conference. Yu Fang revealed that Amway will cooperate with Guangzhou Development Zone to build and operate the Amway R&D Center and the big health sharing platform, aiming to attract more high-end professionals, increase research and innovation capabilities, and carry out R&D cooperation among enterprises to translate research results into products.

The first group of global partners investing in Guangzhou

The first group of global partners investing in Guangzhou has been announced at the event. Well-known institutions and strategic consulting companies with extensive resources globally, such as BOCI, CICC Capital, and Accenture, were among the first group of partners to invest in Guangzhou. They will bring more global high-end resources and projects to Guangzhou and empower high-quality development across industries in Guangzhou.

Alvin Lau, Managing Director of Savills (Guangzhou), said that as the "millennium commercial capital" and a business-friendly city in the new era, Guangzhou has integrated itself into the national major development strategy, continuously optimized its investment environment, increased its efforts to attract investment and secure projects, demonstrating that Guangzhou has a strong foundation, vast potential for growth and expansion, and a dynamic economic engine that can facilitate rapid development and progress.

Germano Rollero, General Manager of Etihad Airways (Greater China), said, "The Middle East countries have a strong connection to Guangzhou, with many investors and businessmen coming to Guangzhou to do business. Guangzhou is a very important investment destination for us, and we launched a new air route last year to seize these opportunities."

签下443个项目，第九届中国广州国际投资年会有何看点？

4月18日，第九届中国广州国际投资年会暨福布斯中国创投高峰论坛（简称“投资年会”）在广州举行。本届年会以“投资广州，投资未来”为主题，吸引了来自19个国家和地区的世界500强企业、央企、各行业领军企业、全球独角兽企业，以及47位外国驻穗总领馆代表。

签约项目共443个

本届投资年会签约项目共443个，来自美国、法国、德国、日本、韩国、瑞典、加拿大、荷兰、中国香港等十多个国家和地区，涉及先进制造业、新一代信息技术、现代商贸、新能源等战略性新兴产业，其中制造业项目172个，约占总项目数四成。

“自2015年以来，广州连续八年举办中国广州国际投资年会，为各界精英提供高层对话、探讨合作、共商发展的重要平台，为推动区域产业转型升级和经济高质量发展提供了坚实助力。”香港贸发局主席林建岳如是说。

林建岳表示，穗港一直是紧密的合作伙伴。“香港在金融、航运、贸易物流、创新科技及法律和调解服务等领域，可为广州以至大湾区提供可靠、高效、优质的专业服务，发挥香港的优势，进一步推动广州产业转型升级和经济高质量发展，为穗港合作带来更广阔的合作空间。”

作为投资大湾区的典型代表，安利（中国）总裁余放在投资年会上分享了他们的“投资广州”故事。余放透露，安利将与广州开发区合作建设和运营安利研发中心及大健康共享平台，争取吸引更多高端人才、夯实科研创新能力，积极开展企业间的研发合作及成果转化。

首批投资广州全球合伙人来了

本届投资年会上，首批投资广州全球合伙人正式发布。中银国际、中金资本、埃森哲、AECOM、普华永道、第一太平戴维斯等一批在全球拥有广泛资源的知名机构、战略咨询公司等，共同组成首批投资广州全球合伙人，未来将积极发挥桥梁纽带作用，共同为广州汇聚更多全球高端优质资源和项目，赋能广州各行业高质量发展。

第一太平戴维斯广州董事总经理、华南区副董事长刘蔚海表示，从“千年商都”到新时代的营商沃土，广州积极融入国家重大发展战略，不断优化自身投资环境，加大招商引资和项目对接力度，展现了广州“更顶尖的起点”“更广阔的市场”“更高速的引擎”的投资前景。

阿提哈德航空大中华区总经理马诺说：“我们中东这些国家，跟广州很有缘分，有很多投资人、商人来广州做生意，对我们来说广州是非常重要的一个目的地，我们去年开通航线也是为了抓住这些机会。”

文丨羊城晚报全媒体记者 孙绮曼
翻译丨刘佳慧