Port city forges promising ties with US innovation hub

Guangdong province's capital city Guangzhou hopes to harness the impetus from a recent key promotional event in the US to improve its innovation capabilities.

It also wants to beef up international exchanges of expert staff, and enhance investment projects with Silicon Valley in California.

"Silicon Valley is synonymous with innovation and Guangzhou is trying to follow that model," said Cai Chaolin, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Guangzhou Committee, at a Silicon Valley Promotion Fair held on Sept 21 in the US state.

Cai added that with closer links to Silicon Valley, Guangzhou could transform into a sci-tech innovation hub for emerging industries, such as information technology, artificial intelligence and biosciences.

To achieve the goal, Guangzhou in March set up overseas offices in Silicon Valley.

The offices aim to link local scientific and technological departments with companies.

They also aim to boost collaborative work on innovative technologies among professionals and projects, and to advance the construction of an international scientific technology hub in Guangzhou.

Guangzhou Automobile Group Co, an automaker in China, established a research and develop center in April in Silicon Valley, which went into operation two months later.

The R&D center is expected to be a top-level international facility focusing on research involving new energy, new materials, advanced parts and electronic equipment, according to the company.

Guangzhou also wants to attract global companies to invest in the city.

"Guangzhou's international business environment and favorable policies have attracted big global companies, young start-up teams and high-end professionals," said Gong Hongwu, secretary of the Guangzhou Science Technology and Innovation Commission.

According to official statistics, Guangzhou has drawn investments from 289 Fortune 500 companies, including Cisco, Microsoft, Google, Foxconn, Siemens and LG.

The city has also become a major destination for skilled professionals from abroad.

The introduction of preferential policies has been one of the main reasons international experts were successfully lured to settle in Guangzhou, according to Gong.

The Guangzhou government has arranged to spend 3.5 billion yuan ($541 million) on supporting the development of 3,500 leading professionals in the areas of aviation, information technology and new materials, automobile, new energy and cultural creativity.

Gong said: "Guangzhou is opening its arms to Silicon Valley's companies, professionals, project and capital.

"In the future, the two sides will launch international innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, cultivate high-tech enterprises and invest in technological startups together," he added.

caoyingying@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 09/26/2017 page15)