The Promotion Conference for 2012 Shanxi-Fujian Trade and Economic Cooperation was held in Fuzhou on May 10.

There were 130 key enterprises, well-known enterprises and foreign enterprises in Fujian province participating in the conference, and representatives from 24 key enterprises and development zones in Shanxi province were briefed on their main strengths and their intent for cooperation.

Gao Jianmin, vice-governor of Shanxi province, delivered a speech. He remarked that industries in the two provinces were highly complementary and related to each other, making possible many opportunities for cooperation. During the Twelfth Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), Shanxi would make great efforts to promote a new way for traditional industry, agricultural modernization, market urbanization and urban-rural ecologicalism through the transformation of resources-intensive economy and construction of reform pilot zones.

He expected further cooperation between the two provinces in the energy industry, new industries, cultural tourism, urban construction and administration, the transformation of traditional industries, and the education of science and technology talents.

Zhang Zhinan, vice-governor of Fujian Province, addressed the conference. He extended warm greetings to all the participants at the conference and said that Shanxi was an important national energy base with a long history and a brilliant culture. Fujian was among the first few provinces to start reform and opening up in China and the economic zone on the west side of the Taiwan Straits. It took Fujian as its backbone and was an important part of the costal economic belt in the country.

He added that both provinces are standing on a new starting point for greener pastures. He expressed hopes for the prosperity of Fujian enterprises in Shanxi in broadened cooperation fields. This would mean an expanded market with more Shanxi enterprises investing in Fujian for mutual success.

Preliminary statistics show that 24 cooperation agreements and letters of intent were signed at the conference in such industries as new materials, logistics, education, medicine, tourism and culture, real estate, building materials, electric power, and coal. There were total investment of 50 billion yuan ($7.9 billion) and an intended investment of 24 billion yuan. Seven key enterprises from Shanxi signed 14 projects, with a total investment of 41.8 billion yuan and an intended investment of 17 billion yuan.