CHANGZHOU, China, Oct. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2023 China Changzhou International Forum on Science and Technology & Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation opened on October 8, marking the 18th consecutive year of this event. The forum's theme this year is "Opening Up and Unleashing Our Energy for Greater Innovation". It aims to connect domestic and international economic, technological, industrial, and talent resources to accelerate Changzhou's transformation into a capital of new energy.

12 fund projects were signed; 18 industrial and technological innovation projects were signed, with a total investment of nearly 55 billion yuan, among which 10 were related to the new energy industry, with a total investment of 31 billion yuan, according to the Organizing Committee.

Changzhou has set its sights on becoming the "Capital of New Energy" and has actively developed the new energy industry, unleashing new green potential. From January to July, large-scale enterprises in the new energy manufacturing sector achieved a total output value of 404.22 billion yuan, marking a 23.3% year-on-year growth. From January to August, more than 200 new energy projects were initiated, with a total investment exceeding 90 billion yuan. Exports of "New Three" products, including electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar cells, reached 21.61 billion USD, a 17.1% increase.

Changzhou has also established a 5-billion-yuan New Energy Industry Investment Fund to attract investments in all aspects of the new energy industry chain, innovation chain, talent chain, and capital chain. The 10 new energy projects signed during the opening ceremony will play a pivotal role in advancing the direction of photovoltaic development, with a focus on new energy storage, boosting the overall scale and quality of industries in fields like new energy vehicles and core components, intelligent connected vehicle software and hardware products, and high-end automotive electronics. These efforts will further drive the continuous growth of Changzhou's industrial clusters.

A group of leading companies in the field of new energy have accelerated the growth of a number of new energy projects, extending the "longboard" of the new energy industry in Changzhou.

Over the years, Changzhou has vigorously promoted all-round and high-level opening up to enhance its level of international development. During the opening ceremony, more than 300 domestic and foreign business guests attended in person, with the number of foreign guests exceeding 30% of the total attendees. Among them were executives from Fortune Global 500 companies, multinational corporations, and renowned companies. Throughout this year, more than 60 CEOs from multinational companies have visited Changzhou. Their actions, including inspecting factories, assessing project operations, attending new project and production line launch ceremonies, and discussing capital increase and production expansion, have demonstrated their trust in Changzhou through practical actions.