State-owned telecom equipment manufacturer China Electronics Corporation, or CEC, and the Taizhou municipal government launched the CEC Optics Valley of Eastern Smart Manufacturing Port project on July 19.
They said the complex, which will be located in the Hailing district of East China's Taizhou city, marks a significant step forward in the collaboration between leading central and local enterprises.
The large-scale project, with an investment of 12 billion yuan ($1.66 billion), will cover an area of 1,062 mu (70.8 hectares). It will become a hub for advanced manufacturing in fields such as new energy, new materials, electronic information and high-end equipment.
Lu Zhipeng, deputy general manager of CEC, and Wan Wenhua, mayor of Taizhou, delivered keynote speeches at the opening ceremony.
The CEC executive underscored the project's vital role in Taizhou's economic transformation, while the mayor emphasized the importance of the cooperation in fostering new quality productive forces.
A significant highlight of the event was the establishment of the CEC Optics Valley of New Quality Productive Forces Alliance. This alliance includes 14 founding member companies from various sectors – including the digital economy, new energy, integrated circuits and artificial intelligence.
Proceedings get underway at the launch ceremony. [Photo/Hailing Industrial Park via WeChat account: gh_4df9b5f9b40b]
Overall, the main goal of the $1.66 billion project is to integrate new quality productive forces and to develop a national-level advanced manufacturing hub.
It is said to be an important milestone in the partnership between CEC – one of China's largest State-owned IT enterprises – and Taizhou, a city with strategic advantages and a very attractive development environment.