Municipal authorities from Changchun, capital city of Northeast China's Jilin province, have signed off on a raft of key automotive industry projects at a major China-Germany auto conference.

The city and more than 10 domestic and international investors came together to forge commitments at a promotional event at the sidelines of the 2020 China-Germany Automobile Conference held in Changchun on Oct 12.

According to local media reports, many zones, districts and counties in Changchun also signed a large number of investment projects with companies.

These covered areas such as smart charging facilities, new energy power systems, automotive electronics and robots.

They are expected to further promote the extension of the automotive industry's production and supply chain in Changchun, create innovation chain, enhance the value chain and accelerate the construction of Changchun International Auto City.

Meanwhile, the Changchun municipal government, auto giant FAW Group and the State Power Investment Corporation Limited signed a tripartite strategic agreement -- involving plans to invest 50 billion yuan ($7.4 billion) and carry out comprehensive and deep cooperation in the field of new energy vehicles.

Participants of the 2020 China-Germany automobile conference visit local auto giant FAW in the International Auto City of Changchun, on Oct 12. [Photo/cnjiwang.cn]

During the promotion event, local officials said that Changchun was the cradle of China's automobile industry and an important national industrial base.

Over the years, leading industries such as automobiles and auto parts, agricultural product processing and rail passenger car manufacturing have all been established there and have flourished.

At present, Changchun is focusing on the construction of Changchun International Auto City -- making every effort to develop it as an international high-end industry base -- and on strengthening its supporting role for the advanced manufacturing industry.

There are five major vehicle enterprises in Changchun and 368 auto parts enterprises above a designated size -- with annual revenue of 20 million yuan ($2.8 million) or more -- among which 26 are Fortune Global 500 firms.

The chamber of commerce of the auto parts manufacturing industry has been established and the auto parts inspection, testing and certification industry alliance was also established.

The city has a number of special research and development institutions for the automotive industry. And led by local manufacturer FAW, a university and research institute alliance has been established to promote electric, intelligent, networked and shared auto innovations.

The China Changchun International Automobile Expo has been held there 17 times in 21 years -- in the process becoming the leading high-level, large-scale automobile trade exhibition and automobile culture meeting in China. The transaction volume at this year's expo alone reached 10.3 billion yuan.

A sweeping aerial view of International Auto City in Changchun. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The number of employees and professions in the local automobile industry has reached 400,000. At present, a total of 21 colleges and universities in the city have set up major of automobile.

In the first three quarters of the current year, the city's automobile industry realized an output value of more than 440 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.3 percent.

Moreover, over a long time, Changchun has established friendly and cooperative relations with many cities in Germany -- the heartland of luxury European car manufacturing.

Germany has become Changchun's largest trading partner for many consecutive years and 96 German auto companies have invested in Changchun.

At present, the city is home to nearly 300 German experts who have been working and living there for a long time. Changchun has established fast track channels for German experts, so they can get streamlined benefits.

These range from premium medical treatment and schooling for their children, to extending the visa period for executives and high-end talent from half a year to five years; some hotlines have also been established providing German-language information services.

Moving forwards, Changchun will further optimize its internationally oriented business environment and provide a better working life and venture capital services for its German friends in the city.