The Xiamen Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries in East China's Fujian province has emerged as a major source of investment and trade for its business partners following the 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade, or CIFIT.

The international investment promotion event, which took place from Sept 8-11 in Xiamen, Fujian province, saw 23 major projects signed in the zone. With a total investment value of 12.8 billion yuan ($1.8 billion), they cover key industries in the zone, including new energy, software and information services, semiconductors and integrated circuits, electrical appliances and flat panel displays.

Schneider Electric, a Fortune Global 500 company, is investing in the zone with a plan to build Schneider Electric (Xiamen) Industrial Park, where the company will establish capabilities centers, research and development centers, manufacturing centers and supply chain bases to serve the global market for medium-voltage power.

As a staple of the zone for many years, Schneider also plans to introduce several new digital product innovation bases to conduct research and high-end manufacturing, aiming to become a demonstrative platform for the digital economy and low-carbon development.

During the fair, the zone signed an agreement to build a comprehensive service platform based on animal experiments and clinical training of medical devices, and to establish an innovative medical device industry technology service platform with "gold bricks countries", thereby expanding the channel for sharing development opportunities between China and emerging markets.

SigmaStar announced it will establish an intelligent automotive chip design project in the zone to help improve the localization rate of China's automotive rule perception and computing chips, enhance the technical level of Xiamen's intelligent driving chips and fill gaps in the related industrial chain.

Meanwhile, the zone has also attracted a number of emerging enterprises, including Xiang Fu Xing Technology, a "little giant" enterprise. According to the current plan, it will build a polarizer manufacturing production base and the product will be used in the IT, automotive and medical sectors, mobile phones, industrial control panels and other fields.

Industrial parks

Ahead of the opening of the 23rd CIFIT, Xiamen held an event to kick-start major projects in the city, including five in the high-tech zone with an investment of 6.8 billion yuan that cover smart power, cloud computing, new energy, and computer and communication equipment industries. Specific projects include smart energy high-end equipment manufacturing project by Xiamen Kelong Technology, a torch investment factory building project, the Yealink intelligent industrial park and a flat panel display industrial park project.

Xiamen Kelong Technology's project is aimed at creating two business sectors: cloud industry and energy electronics. The first phase includes construction of a cloud industry park, with the entire project expected to be completed and put into trial operation by the end of 2026 before officially opening in 2027.

"Over the years, Kelong has actively participated in the CIFIT and expanded its overseas business partners. Through the fair, our brand influence overseas has greatly increased," said Chen Sixiong, president of Kelong Group. He added that the company's overseas market achieved more than 50 percent growth in the first half of 2023 and it will continue to pursue opportunities and develop overseas markets via the CIFIT.

The torch investment factory building project is located in Xiang'an industrial park in the zone, with a planned total investment of 270 million yuan. It mainly builds general factory buildings and supporting facilities and focuses on industries such as computer and communication equipment, flat panel displays, electric power equipment, semiconductors and integrated circuits.

The Yealink intelligent industrial park project started construction in September 2021 with a total floor area of approximately 218,000 square meters. It integrates research and development, production, warehousing and living functions, and will undertake the production and manufacturing of all company products.

Another highlight is that the industrial park has introduced advanced domestic intelligent warehousing management systems and built an intelligent three-dimensional warehouse to achieve high-density storage, real-time automatic inventory counting and intelligent circulation processes, greatly improving operational efficiency and space utilization.

Technological strength

Representatives of emerging and high-tech enterprises from the high-tech zone, including HPRT, NewSound, RGBlink, CoolShadow Technology and Amoy Island Hydrogen Technology, showcased products at the fair and demonstrated the technological strength of the zone through physical displays, video introductions, artificial intelligence and other forms.

As a domestically renowned player in the field of cyber security and social governance, Meiya Pico focused on the application of AR models, blockchain and big data in cutting-edge policing, future security and legal affairs. The company set up a thematic scene pavilion and an industrial ecology pavilion to provide interactive and immersive experiences spotlighting cutting-edge technologies and development trends.

HPRT, which has been deeply involved in the printing machine industry for nearly 20 years in the zone, is becoming a major player in the innovation of domestic printing technology. The company has launched multiple high-tech products and applied them to various industries, becoming a benchmark for the development of China's printing industry.

Among its featured exhibits was the iK4 label printer. With a full-metal body, it supports label-printing with a minimum height of 3 millimeters, using barcode technology to encode components, molds and electronic products in real time while realizing tracking of parts and product information. With high calibration and printing adjustments, it provides 600 disposable personal income, or DPI, printing effects for labels used in applications such as circuit boards, chips and miniature components.

CoolShadow Technology, a company located in Xiamen Software Park, showcased the latest AI technology at the fair, while RGBlink, a competitive company in the field of radio and television and professional audiovisuals, exhibited a one-stop product and solution for professional audiovisuals and live broadcasts, attracting a lot of attention from the public and industry professionals.

Guan Xuan, Liu Qing and Li Shun contributed to this story.

CoolShadow Technology located in the Xiamen Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries showcases its real-time face changing technology. CHINA DAILY

Representative project of the zone's Kelong Technology kicks off the construction. CHINA DAILY