2.5 trillion RMB! 2022 GBA Global Investment Conference shows Guangdong’s magnetism to foreign investment

A total of 853 cooperation projects were signed at the 2022 Global Investment Conference for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on December 21, with a total investment of over 2.5 trillion RMB.

As the first of its kind in the GBA, themed "Investing in GBA for a better future," the Conference was held online and offline in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macao. Top leaders from Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, and Macao SARs participated in the Conference.

The Conference has attracted hundreds of multinationals from tens of countries and regions, including ExxonMobil, BASF, Johnson & Johnson, Saudi Aramco, Siemens Energy, Amazon, Panasonic, Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, Hyundai Motor, Hitachi, LG Display, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, Yazaki and so on. 

48 major projects were signed on the spot, with a total investment of 180.1 billion RMB. Among them are many Global 500 companies, such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, ZF Group, Carlsberg Group, and Broadlink Group, which are in advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, new generation information technology, food health, and other industries.

At the same time, Guangdong announced its second batch of global investment consultants, including Junichiro Nakatsuka, president of Mitsubishi Corp China, Will Song, Chairman of Johnson & Johnson China and President of Johnson & Johnson Medical China, Nicolas Poirot, President & CEO of the Air Liquide (China) Holding Co., Ltd, and Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report.

The 2022 Global Investment Conference for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has also attracted tens of multinationals from tens of countries and regions. (Provided to GDToday)

Multinationals amazed by Guangdong's manufacturing industry 

Yazaki (China) Investment company was one of the multinationals that signed agreements with Guangdong today. "As a Japanese-based auto parts supplier, we will strengthen cooperation with Guangdong province regarding new energy cars to achieve a win-win outcome. Guangdong has a very favorable investment environment and a huge development space for foreign businesses, so we're very confident about the future," said Murata Hideaki, President of Yazaki (China) Investment Company.

Air Liquide (China) Holding Co., Ltd is a French-headquartered Fortune Global 500 Company, leading in gases, technologies, and services for Industry and Health worldwide. In recent years Air Liquide has started projects in Zhanjiang. "GBA (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area) is very promising for hydrogen and green hydrogen as one of the means to develop future mobility, cleaner mobility in Guangdong", Nicolas Poirot talked to GDToday.

Murata Hideaki also thinks highly about Guangdong's manufacturing industry. He told GDToday that the development of new energy cars in China, especially in Guangdong, has been impressive in recent years. Next, his company will strengthen business cooperation with new energy auto companies like BYD Auto and Xpeng Motors in Guangdong. 

Lee Chee Kong, President of Carlsberg China, believed that the consumer market in Guangdong is one of the biggest and most dynamic in China. With the production base in Foshan being the biggest one of Carlsberg's in China, his company will further strengthen our footprint and capacity in the GBA.

Rupert Hoogewerf announced his Hurun Top 100 List of China's Foreign-invested Enterprises in 2022 and the Guide to Investment in the GBA. (Provided to GDToday)

To be able to attract multinationals is great for GBA's advantages

Before the Conference, seven departments of the Guangdong Provincial government, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, briefed the latest investment policies in GBA mainland cities.   

Meanwhile, Rupert Hoogewerf announced his Hurun Top 100 List of China's Foreign-invested Enterprises in 2022 and the Guide to Investment in the GBA. According to the report, the sales of the top 100 enterprises in China reached 7.6 trillion RMB last year, equivalent to 7% of China's GDP, and more than 90% of the top 100 enterprises have launched in-depth cooperation in GBA.

"The number of big global companies investing in GBA is really surprising. The business environment here is very positive. To be able to attract them to engage and invest is great for the competitive advantages of GBA," Hoogewerf said to GDToday. 

According to the latest statistics, up to now, more than 200 qualified foreign-funded projects or enterprises have been supported by special funds for foreign investment in Guangdong. More than 3.5 billion RMB of reward funds have been cashed, and more than 150 billion RMB of actual foreign investment has been leveraged. This year, the first batch of 18 regional headquarters of multinational corporations have been identified.

Reporters: Nan, Fanny, Lydia, Liu Simin

Video: Li Zhuoxuan, Ou Xiaoming

Editors: Wing, Olivia, Jerry