Twenty-five projects in new energy development, equipment manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, tourism and education – worth 28.87 billion yuan ($3.97 billion) – signed up on Nov 9 to settle in the Fangchenggang area of the China-ASEAN Industrial Cooperation Zone.

Huang Weiping, director of the Investment Promotion Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said the region had integrated and optimized industrial parks in seven cities, including Nanning, Beihai and Fangchenggang.

It had also established the China-ASEAN Industrial Cooperation Zone to create a new highland for domestic and international industry transfers, Huang added.

In September, Guangxi launched a 100-day investment promotions campaign, during which it held four special promotions meetings of its China-ASEAN Industrial Cooperation Zone in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Ningbo and Beijing.

A symposium on support from central State-owned enterprises for the construction and development of the zone was also held in Beijing. It signed up 18 cooperation agreements with 15 enterprises, including eight investment cooperation agreements involving a total investment of 139.7 billion yuan.

Fangchenggang, connected with the ASEAN countries by sea and land, is the main area for the construction of the China-ASEAN Industrial Cooperation Zone.

It has been actively promoting the construction of the zone, focusing on the textiles and clothing, electronics information, toys, pharmaceuticals and metal new materials industries.