SHENZHEN has shown strong performance in attracting foreign investment in the first half of the year (H1), with the actual use of foreign investment reaching 41.6 billion yuan (US$5.71 million) from January to June, up by 10.6% year on year.

Data provided by the city’s commerce bureau signified that Shenzhen has maintained a stable and promising trend in attracting foreign investment since the beginning of this year, and foreign investment confidence has further consolidated, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

In H1, investments have flowed in from 92 countries and regions, with notable growth from countries such as Switzerland, the U.K. and Singapore, according to official data.

At the beginning of this year, the municipal government and multiple government departments took the lead in attracting investment globally, traveling to countries such as Italy, Spain, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, as well as to the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and some key cities on the mainland, to attract investment and talents.

The investment delegations across the city followed suit. They focused on key industrial clusters and the modern service industry, and hosted investment promotion activities in major cities at home and abroad, sparking a new wave of economic and trade cooperation.

The investment promotion efforts have paid off. For instance, Japan-based Round One Corp. has intended to set up its South China headquarters in Longhua District.

The Luohu delegation went to Thailand and Singapore for investment negotiations. It reached preliminary cooperation intentions with Bangkok in six fields and signed two cooperation agreements at the same time, and negotiated investment and cooperation matters with Singaporean financial institutions and technology parks.

The Futian delegation went to Milan and Florence in Italy and Madrid in Spain, reaching a series of investment, trade, education and training, and media cooperation intentions. Breakthroughs were achieved in the introduction of high-end fashion brands, fashion design education, international fashion magazines and the establishment of two-way fashion communication platforms.

At the same time, a batch of major foreign investment projects have settled in Shenzhen. Foreign companies including Valeo, Capella Hotels and Resorts, Siemens Healthineers, TRUMPF, Apple and Walmart have made strategic investment moves in Shenzhen so far this year.

In May, Siemens Healthineers announced an additional investment of 1 billion yuan to set up a new R&D and production site in Nanshan District.

“The new investment project in Shenzhen fully demonstrates our determination and confidence in developing in the Chinese market,” Jerry Wang, president of Siemens Healthineers Greater China region, was quoted as saying.

On Aug. 7, Shenzhen issued three work plans aimed to build a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment, and become an ideal destination for global innovation, entrepreneurship and investment.

(Zhang Yu, Chen Yuying)