The 9th Western China International Fair (the 9th WCIF), postponed due to the 5.12 Earthquake, was co-sponsored by nine ministries and commissions of the central government including National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Commerce, the people's governments of 12 western provinces, autonomous regions and municipality and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and hosted by the People's Government of Sichuan Province and held in Chengdu, Sichuan between October 27 and 31, 2008.
Since its start in 2000, eight sessions had been successfully held. The five-day-long 9th WCIF, centering around the theme "open Western China, promising future", insisting on the concept of ministry-province cooperation and hosting together, sharing together and succeeding together of western regions, realized the objective of "serving for the whole country and aiming the global market based on Western China" and a great success. By October 30, the 9th WCIF has signed 795 investment projects with an amount of 300.452billion yuan, including 750 domestic-funded projects valued 269 billion yuan and 45 foreign-funded projects valued 4.605 billion yuan. Moreover, the 1st Outsourcing Fair, Sichuan, China saw a great success. By 10 o'clock, October 31, the accumulated value of projects signed hit 48.3 billion yuan, concerning 200+ products of 13 sectors including electromechanical, textile, chemical and garment industries.
The 9th WCIF attracted statesmen, officials, persons in charge of commercial chambers and associations as well as 12,800+ enterprises. The level and number of statesmen, officials and businessmen were the highest of all sessions, and the largest in scale and highest in standard of all nationwide regional events.
This session had an unprecedented exhibition area of 120,000 square meters with six halls, namely, countries and regions, investment cooperation and matching support, automobile, machinery industry, building and materials and western specialty industries, and further development in internationalization, regionalization and professionalization. Meanwhile, 48 key, special and serial activities were held, showcasing a colorful fair.
The 9th WCIF not only brought good economic benefit but also received high praise and extensive recognition of social circles. In particular, the first Western China Cooperation Forum reached 2008 Chengdu Common Understandings, playing an important role in pushing forward a complete opening-up and cooperation, building a new Pan-As.ia traffic and logistics system, improving the joint effort Pan-Asia region to resist world economic risks and the region's strategic position in global economic development layout.
Although Sichuan suffered the 5.12 Earthquake and severe attacks in economy in 2008, the success of the 9th WCIF showed the hospitality and gratitude of Sichuan people to the world. Sichuan was still safe, beautiful and developing. The event received high concerns and reports of main media from home and abroad, having intensive influences home and abroad and further forging WCIF into a key platform for western cooperation, eastern-central-western cooperation and sino-foreign cooperation, a major platform for diplomacy, investment, economy and trade cooperation, an important carrier to carry forward Western China development and Sichuan's implementation of the opening-up work of Western China.
