SHIJIAZHUANG, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A group of ambassadors, representatives and senior diplomats from 24 countries and international organizations, including Argentina, Jordan and Slovakia, visited north China's Hebei Province from April 14 to 16 at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The tour focused on the region's industrial innovation, traditional culture and urban development.
At a business matching event, representative enterprises from Hebei's specialized industrial clusters showcased their flagship products, including graphene-based materials. Slovak Ambassador to China Milan Lajciak said many Chinese firms are already investing in his country, mainly in machinery, pharmaceuticals, low-altitude economy and clean energy. "I will send home a lot of positive information about the potential to cooperate."
At the digital production workshop of CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, fully automated guided vehicles and digital twin systems demonstrated smart manufacturing. Pharmaceutical cooperation concerns people's health while such intelligent and efficient production can help increase drug supply in Zimbabwe, said Grasiano Nyaguse, minister of the Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe in China.
At JA Solar's Shijiazhuang base, robots and automatic guided vehicles drew the attention of Solomon Islands Ambassador to China Barrett Salato. "My country has abundant sunshine, but solar energy remains underdeveloped. I hope to cooperate with JA Solar for future investment."
North Macedonia's Ambassador to China Sashko Nasev noted that Chinese enterprises have excellent experience with solar panels and wind energy, adding that his country already has cooperation with China in machinery and agriculture.
After visiting the two companies, Hussam Al Husseini, Jordan's ambassador to China, expressed a strong interest in cooperation in pharmaceuticals and solar energy. He added a JA Solar manager on WeChat, noting Jordan's abundant deposits of high-quality silica sand for solar component production and expressing the hope for future collaboration.
"Meanwhile, Jordan is one of the leading countries in the pharmaceutical area in the Middle East and worldwide. We have very good pharmaceutical companies in Jordan and would like to explore cooperation with China," Husseini said.
In Xiong'an New Area, known as China's "city of the future," the delegation held talks with relocated state-owned enterprises and visited the urban computing center, which operates a digital twin of the city that displays real-time traffic and utility data.
Husseini praised Xiong'an as a model for addressing urban challenges. "Our capital is becoming too congested. We are looking for a new area to relocate some facilities. What we have seen here is an excellent model, from basic infrastructure to the early application of smart city concepts."
At an international trade center in Xiong'an, Marcelo Suarez Salvia, ambassador of Argentina to China, praised the city's rapid transformation. "In just a few years, a vibrant city has risen from nothing. It will benefit Beijing and serve as an example for smart cities globally -- contributing to more efficient public services, saving energy and time, and making life more convenient for people and the future urban environment." ■
