Ningbo conference posts $20-plus billion in deals

A conference gathering roughly 780 guests from 25 countries and regions worldwide, including government officials, business executives, experts and scholars, was held in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province on Nov 16. 

The conference witnessed the signing of 35 deals worth 152.8 billion yuan ($22.3 billion), with scopes spanning the fields including smart manufacturing, biomedicine, new energy, modern service and marine engineering. 

The event came as part of the city's broader push to shine a spotlight on the accomplishments it has achieved over the past four decades and accumulate more efforts  in seeking development in the wave of the country's new round of reform and opening-up. 

A major part of its attendees were the luminaries from the Ningbo Bang, which refers to a group of businessmen who were born in Ningbo but moved and lived out of the city. Usually they started business from scratch and achieved success.

Statistics show that from 1984 to 2017, Ningbo Bang had donated 2 billion yuan to their hometown, contributing remarkably to the city's development in terms of culture, education, health care as well as talent cultivation. 

Over the same period, more than 8,100 businesses invested by overseas Chinese landed in Ningbo, with value topping $50 billion, the majority of which were from the Ningbo Bang.

In addition to Ningbo Bang, some execs from Global 500 companies such as Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co, China Resources (Holdings) Co and China Vanke Co, also attended the event.

On the same day, a grand ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Yue-Kong Pao or Bao Yugang, was also launched in the city to commemorate the outstanding figure for his tremendous contribution to the city's development.

Bao is a well-known Hong Kong tycoon and philanthropist. Born in Ningbo in 1918, Bao was the second son of a prestigious family. He is said to be the twenty-ninth generation in a direct line from the famous official Bao Zheng of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), well known in Chinese history and literature. Statistics show that Bao and his families have donated 150 million yuan thus far to support the development in Ningbo including $20 million for the construction of Ningbo University.