Similar to the recent event held by officials of the Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, officials from Northeast China's Liaoning province hosted an online signing and promotion event to attract more investments. The online event, which was held on Tuesday in Dalian, reportedly included the signing of 91 new projects with a total expected investment of 105.15 billion yuan or roughly $15 billion.
To circumvent the ongoing restrictions imposed by the Chinese government to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, officials held a "screen to screen" gathering for the first time ever in the province. Local government and business representatives "gathered" together via a video conference to discuss and close various deals and agreements.
Dalian officials held major online conferences at the municipal government offices. However, several other "meetings" were also held at 13 other sub-venues. Organizers utilized China Mobile's video conference provider, ViLin, to conduct the meetings.
According to officials, over 330 business people and business representatives were invited to participate in an innovative event. Also in attendance were top officials from local government agencies, including Liaoning provincial Department of Commerce vice-director Pan Shuang, Dalian vice-mayor Jin Guowei, and Dalian municipal government secretary-general Yi Qingdao.
After the meeting, organizers revealed that more than 91 projects were signed. Four of them were signed at the main venue. These deals included investments in infrastructure, establishing a science and innovation park, and the construction of an urban rowing center. Among the companies that participated, Jinpu New Area signed the most agreements with 20 new projects.
Party chief of CPC Dalian Committee, Tan Zoujun, mentioned in a a statement that the event was held to ensure the continued economic development of the region while at the same time preventing the continued spread of the viral epidemic. Tan added that the city is going very well to achieve both goals. The official noted that the city will continue its efforts to build a market-oriented and convenient business environment for businesses and investors.
The event was held after a similar online meeting was conducted by officials of the Chongqing Liangjiang New Area last month. That particular online signing ceremony resulted in an estimated 6.9 billion yuan worth of deals and agreements.
The innovative new way of conducting meetings without having to physically gather comes as the government imposes strict travel bans in major cities around China. The so-called cloud signing ceremonies have proven to be very effective in spurring further economic activity without risking the health of the people involved.
