A signing ceremony for a batch of key projects is held during the 2024 Invest in Beijing Conference in Beijing on April 25.

As the host city of the Zhongguancun Forum, aka the ZGC Forum, Beijing has reaped a bountiful harvest, with a batch of major projects signed on-site.

During the 2024 Invest in Beijing Conference on April 25, a key part of the forum, the city launched 231 projects totaling more than 90.21 billion yuan ($12.73 billion) in investment value, soliciting investors from around the world.

The projects are in a wide range of industries, such as new-generation information technology, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, intelligent manufacturing, technological services, integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, green energy and environmental protection.

Of the projects presented at the conference, 23 were signed on-site, with a combined contract value surpassing 61 billion yuan. They cover 11 industries, including AI, life sciences, carbon peaking and neutralization, medical care and healthcare, and clean energy.

Among the sealed deals were an intelligent assembly project of new energy vehicle parts built by GLP, a foreign-funded company, in the city's Shunyi district; an intelligent manufacturing project from truck manufacturer Foton Daimler in Huairou district; an intelligent assembly project of new energy electric power equipment in Tongzhou district and a comprehensive innovation center focusing on drones and other high-tech industries at a Zhongguancun sci-tech park in Yanqing district.

"Beijing has distinct development advantages and broad development prospects, making it fertile ground for businesses to invest and grow," said Liu Shengguo, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing city government.

"The construction of the 'two zones' (the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening Up the Service Sector and the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone) has brought new opportunities for businesses' development," he said.

He also cited the city's dense innovation resources and strong industrial foundation, its initiative to develop into a global digital economy benchmark city, a wealth of historical and cultural heritage, and the top-tier business environment as the major factors contributing to Beijing's appeal to investors.

Lu Yan, vice-chairman of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the conference showed to entrepreneurs Beijing's investment environment and development opportunities, boosting their confidence in investment, attracting more high-quality projects to settle in the city and accelerating the formation of new quality productive forces.