The first Conference of Great Business Partners held by Shandong in 2018 has helped the province reap a raft of business deals and attract professionals, which has helped to boost the economy with new growth drivers.

With an aim of building a platform for high-level exchanges and cooperation, the 2018 Conference of Great Business Partners invited 1,096 guests from all walks of life from home and abroad, and more than 4,000 scholars and representatives from enterprises to participate in 11 forums and 17 negotiation activities.

At the event, the Shandong Development and Reform Commission presented 600 selected projects from diverse fields－including new-generation information technology, new energy and materials, intelligent maritime engineering and healthcare－to seek investment from all over the world.

Statistics from the provincial government show that a total of 134 contracts were secured at the first conference, the total amount of which reached 643 billion yuan ($90.86 billion).

All the projects represented the advanced technical level in China and helped Shandong fill some industry gaps, according to the local government.

By the end of May 2020, the signed projects from the 2018 Conference of Great Business Partners have gathered a total investment of 95 billion yuan. And 14 projects, with an investment of 10.8 billion yuan in total, have been completed.

The 2018 Conference of Great Business Partners also saw 57 local employers in Shandong reach cooperation intention agreements with 118 high-level professionals and teams from home and abroad.

A website named "Select Shandong" was launched during the first conference in 2018, to provide information on investment projects, employment opportunities and capital flows, involving more than 180 industrial parks in 17 cities across the province.

The website has documented 600 key investment projects, 539 enterprise recruitment requirements and the information of more than 2,000 high-level professionals.