During the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10, Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone (NETDZ) participated in several events, successfully promoting its business environment and signing several agreements.

At the Dialogue between Nantong and Multinational Corporations event on Nov 6, Marc Horn, president of Merck China, shared the company's story in NETDA.

He highly praised the zone's service initiatives and capabilities, stating that Merck will further expand its presence in the zone, introduce more globally leading technologies, and collaborate with local universities to cultivate local talent, fostering mutual growth for the company and the local community.

Two major projects, Seattle Gummy Co's Health Products & Improved New Drugs, and Dynamic Overseaslive Corporation's Shipbuilding Steel Structure Product Manufacturing Base, also signed agreements to make a presence in NETDA during the event, with a total investment of $230 million.

Furthermore, at the Invest in China • Green and Low-Carbon Industry Matchmaking event on Nov 7, Nantong Strong International Trading Co from NETDA signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Canadian Advantage Petroleum.

Advantage Petroleum is one of Canada's major exporters of oil and gas products to Asia. This signing is expected to achieve an annual import scale of approximately $560 to 700 million, with sales in China projected to reach 4 to 5 billion yuan ($563.50 to 904.37 million ).