Tai'an city, which derives its name from the Chinese national spiritual symbol Taishan Mountain, launched its Hong Kong campaign Monday to promote investment opportunities in the city as the "2010 (Hong Kong) Shandong Week" starts Monday.

Tai'an is trying to convince Hong Kong investors that besides its widely-known historical tourism resources, it also has complex infrastructure and an ecological environment that is conducive to boosting cooperation between the two cities.

"Tai'an and Hong Kong are complementary in terms of strength and advantage. Hong Kong's experience in the service sector can help strengthen the quality of our manufacturing industry," said Li Hongfeng, Tai'an's mayor, at the 2010 (Hong Kong) Forum for Development of Major Industries in Tai'an City and Fair for Investment & Trade held in the JW Marriott Hotel Monday.

Twenty-three project agreements with a total investment value of US$1.75 billion were signed during the forum, involving several sectors, including agriculture industrialization, tourism and service, cultural industry and hi-tech deals.

Li said in recent years, Tai'an has given priority to the further development of the automobile, new materials, chemistry and bioengineering industries, to promotion of agriculture industrialization and to further improvement of key tourist and culture industries. It has also built high-tech industrial development zones and tourism & economic development zones to attract foreign enterprises to settle in the city.

"We hope investors from Hong Kong will have better knowledge about Tai'an through this fair," said Li.

Mandy Ng, manager for mainland promotions at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), delivered a welcoming speech at the forum, on behalf of the HKTDC.

Ng said Hong Kong could provide a good platform for companies from Tai'an to finance, while Tai'an provides a playing field for Hong Kong enterprises to explore investment opportunities.

"If Tai'an's rich historical heritage and recreational resources could integrate with Hong Kong's advanced cultural and innovative industries, the two sides could share complementary advantages and yield greater collaboration," said Ng.

Located in Shandong province and covering an area of 7,762 square kilometers with a population of 5.5 million, Tai'an is a major production base of energy and raw materials in China, as well as an important national agricultural production region.

Mountain Taishan, which is listed as a natural and cultural world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and renowned for its natural scenery and historical culture, receives more than 15 million visitors each year. In addition to boasting the landmark mountain, Tai'an has also designed a series of unique tour programs with their own appeal over the years, including folk-custom and agricultural tours, and offers an impressive array of tourist goods, including folk souvenir snacks that delight tourists from all over the world.

China Daily

(HK Edition 05/11/2010 page2)