The Multinational Enterprises Visit to Tianjin event was staged in Tianjin on Oct 21-23. Co-hosted by the Tianjin Municipal People's Government and CITIC Group, it attracted over 300 guests from 240 enterprises, institutions and industry organizations across over 30 countries and regions. Participants conducted field trips and project matchmaking focusing on industrial developments, technological innovations and investment cooperation — sharing in China's development opportunities and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Industry Cooperation Conference was held on Oct 23. Xi Guohua, chairman of CITIC Group, delivered a speech. He said the event has built a platform for sharing China's opportunities with all parties — and the number of participating foreign-funded institutions and guests topped previous events. He expressed hope that all parties would seize opportunities in Tianjin and work together to deepen cooperation.

Xi Guohua outlined three priorities.

First, building a "convergence point" for an open city. CITIC will deepen its integration into the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, leverage platforms like the "International Enterprises China Tours" — and provide tailored services for businesses, including policy advisories, market research and resource matchmaking.

Second, building a "strong engine" for innovation. CITIC will pursue breakthroughs in AI, advanced manufacturing, and digital and intelligent technologies — and establish the CITIC 117 Collaborative Sci-Tech Innovation Center to attract global innovation resources.

Third, building a thriving Tianjin together. CITIC will expand local investment, attract more quality enterprises, and support key projects and regional upgrades — contributing to Tianjin's modernization.

The CITIC 117 Collaborative Sci-Tech Innovation Center was officially unveiled at the conference. A key central-local government collaboration, the center is driven by the coordinated development strategy of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Leveraging CITIC's resources as a central SOE, it will be closely in line with Tianjin's industrial base and focus on fields like supercomputing and intelligent computing. The center aims to be a modern industrial ecosystem that is galvanized by collaborative innovation and shared benefits — with 14 tech companies signing on-site agreements to move in.

An innovation competition was also launched at the conference. The competition will leverage the continued support of "Seed + Innovation" dual funds — jointly established by CITIC and Tianjin to accelerate the transition of research results from R&D to industrial applications — sustaining the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region through innovation.

Participants also toured various sites across Tianjin — gaining first-hand insights into local developments in advanced manufacturing, biomanufacturing, healthcare, smart ports and technological innovation. The event also featured symposiums with multinational corporations and foreign institutions, meetings with municipal leaders, and multiple parallel sessions. They all aimed at fostering government-business dialogues, industrial matchmaking and concrete project cooperation.