The Liuzhou “Artificial Intelligence + Manufacturing” Industry Cooperation and Exchange Conference was recently held in Shanghai, where seven AI-related investment cooperation projects were signed, with a total investment of RMB 5.817 billion. This has continued the strong momentum of Liuzhou’s investment promotion efforts in the first half of the year.

Since the beginning of this year, the CPC Liuzhou Municipal Committee and the Liuzhou Municipal People’s Government have introduced the “9712” working mechanism -- [establishing nine industrial task forces, adopting the “seven batches” working approach, requiring monthly briefings from industrial task forces and county-level (new district) governments, and holding two on-site meetings each year in counties or districts with outstanding performance]. With the strong support of this mechanism, the city has fostered a robust atmosphere of prioritizing industry and projects, achieving both quantitative and qualitative improvements in investment promotion.

According to the Liuzhou Investment Promotion Bureau, in the first half of the year the city signed new projects with a total contracted investment of RMB 65.2 billion, up by 33% year on year; among these, contracted investment in newly signed industrial projects each worth over RMB 100 million reached 49.9 billion yuan, up by 39 % year on year.

Yang Haoming, Director of the Liuzhou Investment Promotion Bureau, said that the “9712” working mechanism has strengthened overall planning and coordination throughout the entire process of project preparation, negotiation, signing, commencement, and construction. It has also efficiently addressed bottlenecks and challenges in industrial development and investment promotion.

“Leaders” of the CPC Liuzhou Municipal Committee and Liuzhou Municipal People’s Government have on multiple occasions led delegations to Shenzhen, Beijing, and other cities to carry out targeted investment promotion activities, reaching cooperation consensus with leading enterprises such as H&T and Huawei Technologies. In the first half of the year, Party and government “leaders” at both the municipal and county (new district) levels conducted a total of 61 investment promotion visits, engaging with more than 270 target enterprises and business associations.

Focusing on the “3+3+X” modern industrial system, Liuzhou has identified nine key industries as priorities for investment promotion. The city is deepening the industrial chain-based investment model, systematically mapping out full-chain panoramas, and carrying out targeted investment promotion “in line with these roadmaps”. In the steel (nonferrous metals) sector, deep-processing products and upstream and downstream industries are advancing into high-end manufacturing, with two projects each expected to generate an annual output value of over RMB 10 billion; in the automobile industry, the city is expanding into the specialized vehicle segment, attracting leading enterprise Chengli Automobile to build an industrial cluster with an expected output value of over RMB 10 billion; in the artificial intelligence sector, Liuzhou is promoting industrial development and investment around the concept of “AI +”, facilitating cooperation between UBTECH Robotics, Huawei Technologies, and automobile enterprises.

In addition, Liuzhou has targeted key regions and actively engaged with business associations outside the city, universities, innovation platforms, and industry alliances, facilitating the signing and implementation of a number of major industrial investment projects; by strengthening the three-tier investment promotion mechanism at the regional, municipal, and county (new district) levels, exploring a “fund + project” investment model, and building collaborative platforms for scenario-based cooperation, the city has created a diversified and flourishing investment landscape.

Once projects are introduced, ensuring their effective implementation on the ground becomes a crucial step. Liuzhou adheres to the principle of “integrating investment attraction with business services and balancing project introduction with project implementation”, actively providing agency services for enterprises and coordinating solutions to challenges such as administrative approvals.

According to Qin Zuochao, Director of the Liuzhou Administrative Examination and Approval Bureau, the bureau has adopted the approach of “efficiently completing one matter” as a guiding principle. It offers comprehensive services for fixed-asset investment project approvals and project commencement, implements dedicated service teams that follow projects through to completion, and forms cross-departmental task forces with relevant units to tackle the “seven batches” of major projects. To date, the bureau has served 92 major projects and resolved 48 issues. The bureau will continue to refine and adjust the working model and procedures of its dedicated service teams for key enterprises (major projects). By building a three-list service system of “approval process list + service support list + agency assistance list”, it aims to achieve three breakthroughs for major projects: “shortening approval timelines, ensuring precise resource support, and enhancing the overall service experience”.

Looking ahead to the second half of the year, Yang Haoming emphasized that Liuzhou will leverage the resource advantages of key industries and industrial parks to attract a batch of highly competitive, fast-growing, and strongly connected engine projects and leading enterprises; at the same time, the city will promote in-depth cooperation between artificial intelligence enterprises and Liuzhou in fields such as manufacturing, education, and healthcare, accelerating the building of a robust AI industrial ecosystem. At the same time, Liuzhou is accelerating the implementation of newly signed projects, striving to generate greater investment growth and inject new momentum into the city’s high-quality development.