The Global Ningbo Community and Development Partnership Conference commences in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, on Oct 27. [Photo/WeChat account: nbfb0574]

The Global Ningbo Community and Development Partnership Conference commenced in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, on Oct 27.

The Ningbo Community, also known as Ningbobang, refers to a group of businesspeople who were born in Ningbo but live outside the city, usually achieving success by starting their own businesses.

More than 1,600 guests from home and abroad attended the conference either offline or through teleconferencing.

Yuan Jiajun, secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, and Zheng Shanjie, governor of Zhejiang, delivered instructions.

Yuan said in his written instructions, which were made public at the conference, that the conference attracted many people in the Ningbobang community and those who plan to invest in the city, demonstrating the strong vitality of innovation and entrepreneurship in Ningbo and Zhejiang. 

The opening ceremony witnessed the signing of 26 investment deals with a combined value of 35 billion yuan ($5 billion). The investments involved sectors such as high-end equipment, new materials, biomedicine, digital economy, smart manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and modern services.

Han Qide, vice chairman of the 10th and 11th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Ho Iat-seng, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, congratulated the opening of the conference via letters or videos.