BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Haidian district in northwest Beijing sees opportunity in China's Belt and Road infrastructure project and wants companies based in its hi-tech park to get in on the action.
Yu Jun is the head of the Haidian district that hosts Zhongguancun, a National Innovation Model Park with more than 7,500 high-tech firms.
Ahead of the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be opened on May 14 in Beijing, Yu told Xinhua in an interview that his local government has been focused on supporting the overseas ventures of some companies under the initiative.
The Belt and Road Initiative includes the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.
According to Yu, Haidian has set up the Zhongguancun Belt and Road Industrial Promotion Association, and is trying to build it into a service platform to boost international cooperation and help businesses tap into global markets.
Haidian is also building links between its high-tech firms and commerce departments at foreign embassies in China as well as overseas financial and legal bodies in the form of forums and seminars.
So far, the district has held 19 such events in areas like design and innovation, international technology transfer, energy conservation, environmental protection, and bio-pharmaceutical, Yu said, adding that these events have helped many companies find foreign partners on belt and road projects.
Yu's package of proposals also attaches great importance to training and recuiting talent.
He said the district holds training sessions annually for its firms. Recently, it has put forward a program called the "Cirrus Project" to provide talent for Chinese enterprises, and to offer foreign students jobs and internships.
Haidian also seeks to offer financial support for the Chinese firms trying to do business in countries along the Belt and Road.
Yu said his district also holds information sessions on managing external debt, foreign currencies, and acquisitions in foreign lands.
Yu said Shengjing360 Science and Technology Co. Ltd, a Chinese enterprise services platform based in Haidian, has set up a 1.5 billion-U.S.-dollar innovation investment fund in Israel to promote future cooperation between Chinese and Israeli companies regarding industry tie-in, markets and capital.
"We hope to build Haidian into a bridgehead to better serve its high-tech firms in their participation of the Belt and Road Initiative," Yu said.
He also hoped his district's efforts can benefit more countries along the Belt and Road and bring companies fresh opportunities to gain market access and grow.
