On June 14, Zhu Jian, Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Hengyang, led a delegation to Shanghai for an investment promotion visit. During the trip, Zhu held face-to-face discussions with executives from Modern Auto, Longchuang Auto, and Shanghai RAAS, reaching broad consensus on deepening practical cooperation and accelerating project implementation.

Modern Auto is a tech-driven company focused on the R&D and intelligent manufacturing of smart electric vehicles. It plans to collaborate with Liebao Auto to launch two vehicle models for overseas markets, accelerating its “go global” strategy. Zhu emphasized the importance of seizing the strategic opportunity and time window presented by the accelerating internationalization of China’s auto industry. He urged both sides to press ahead with cooperation, actively explore new overseas markets, revitalize existing assets, and firmly guard against risks. He called for a clear roadmap for collaboration, with defined timelines and division of tasks, to ensure early production and mutual benefit.

Shanghai Longchuang Auto Design Co., Ltd., the first “national-level industrial design center” in the sector, has participated in the development of more than 400 models, including those from Toyota, Avita, XPeng, and Geely. The company boasts full vehicle turnkey development capabilities. Chairman Wang Xun introduced the company’s strategic blueprint for accelerating transformation and upgrading, expanding into full vehicle manufacturing, and driving the entire industrial ecosystem overseas through de-branded common R&D. He also expressed intentions to revitalize the Qidong plant’s new energy vehicle project and promote the clustering of auto parts industries in and around Hengyang. Wang pledged to help establish Hengyang as a key base for the global expansion of the auto industry chain.

Zhu Jian highlighted that Hengyang enjoys superior transportation and geographic advantages, a solid automotive industrial foundation, and a rich pool of skilled labor. The city is home to leading automotive component enterprises such as Meihu Intelligent Manufacturing, Tianyan Machinery, and Nanyue Electric Control. It also hosts the province’s first comprehensive bonded zone and facilitates domestic and international connectivity through the Hunan-Guangdong-Africa multimodal logistics corridor. The Hengyang Intelligent Weighing and Metrology Industrial Park supports faster vehicle market entry through inspection, testing, and certification services. With complementary strengths such as Tebian Electric’s charging piles, Lingpai Technology’s new energy batteries, and Foxconn’s shared factory model, Hengyang is rapidly building a complete new energy vehicle (NEV) industrial ecosystem. These overlapping advantages, strong industrial synergy, and an efficient, business-friendly environment make Hengyang fertile ground for investment and development in the auto sector. Zhu expressed hope that both sides would build a close-knit community of shared interests and help Longchuang Auto rise to the ranks of top-tier global players.

Shanghai RAAS represents a key strategic investment by Haier Group in the biotech industry. It ranks among the top in the country in terms of blood product output and comprehensive utilization. Xu Jun, Vice Chairman and General Manager of Shanghai RAAS, said that following the acquisition of Nanyue Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., the company will take Hengyang as a strategic base to establish a global R&D center, enhance the added value per ton of plasma, and empower original drug development, aiming to achieve substantial growth on site. Zhu remarked that the biopharmaceutical and life sciences industry is a “sunrise industry that never sets” and expressed hope that this acquisition will serve as a catalyst to systematically plan the “15th Five-Year” development of Hengyang’s biomedical sector. He called for the full leveraging of the strengths of both parties to scale up and strengthen Nanyue Biopharmaceutical, propelling Hengyang toward a modernized biopharmaceutical industry.

Municipal leader Liu Ping joined the investment promotion visit.

Translator: Jing