The Hefei National High-Tech Industry Development Zone – located in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province – showcased its advanced technology innovations at the World Manufacturing Convention, held from Sept 20 to 24.

Boasting a record number of exhibitors, the five-day event highlighted the growing prominence of the region in the manufacturing industry – with the Hefei high-tech zone leading the charge in technological and industrial innovations.

Ambassadors and diplomats visited iFlytek, a leading AI and speech tech company in China, which is based in the Hefei high-tech zone. [Photo/WeChat ID: wmconvention]

In the first half of the year, the value-added industrial output of the zone hit 23.84 billion yuan ($3.26 billion), ranking it first among the country's development zones.

The zone has made a concerted effort to create a robust manufacturing cluster by attracting emerging sectors including integrated circuits, new energy storage and intelligent networked cars.

Additionally, the Hefei high-tech zone has placed a strong emphasis on sci-tech innovation. Moreover, it has developed mature innovation platforms and research laboratories in areas such as artificial intelligence and quantum science.

The zone is said to be aiming to ignite a wave of innovation – supporting continuous growth in the manufacturing industry through an innovation chain that includes basic research, technological research, the commercialization of advances and achievements, as well as enterprise cultivation.