Fujian province to be showcased at Beijing event

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs will present Fujian province to the world at a July 5 event in Beijing co-organized by the ministry and the People's Government of Fujian province.

The event will be held in the ministry's South Building and will be themed China in the New Era: Eco-friendly Fujian, Gateway for the Maritime Silk Road.

It will also feature a number of supporting exhibitions, according to the ministry.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will address the event, while Yu Weiguo, CPC Fujian provincial committee secretary, and Tang Dengjie, Fujian province governor, will deliver a speech and make a presentation, respectively, said the ministry.

Fujian province, birthplace of ancient Maritime Silk Road, bears an important role as the core of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

In recent years there has been progress building Fujian into a hub for transport, a platform for trade and economic cooperation, a pilot area for institutional innovation and a bond for people-to-people exchanges, said Ye Feiwen, deputy director of Fujian Development and Reform Commission.

He made the remarks at a news conference during the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

The cargo throughput of ports across the province in 2017 grew by 7.3% to 561 million metric tons, and 176 China-Europe freight trains were seen off in Fujian last year, Ye said.

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Expo & the 21st Straits Economic and Trade Fair, which had been held in Fujian 19 times, has become a significant platform for international trade and economic cooperation, Ye said.

Ye also said that Fujian has supported local businesses to go global, with outbound investment growing by 57 percent to $5.5 billion last year.

Memoranda of cooperation between Fujian and local governments in foreign countries including Indonesia, the Philippines and Czech have also been signed.

Huang Rui contributed to the story.