Development and cooperation matchmaking event for automobile industry held in Zhengzhou, C China's Henan

A development and cooperation matchmaking event for the automobile industry kicked off at the Zhengzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, on Nov. 9, 2024.

Photo shows a scene from a development and cooperation matchmaking event for the automobile industry in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province. (People's Daily Online/Shen Zhiyuan)

The event, aimed to foster collaboration and create new opportunities in the automobile industry, was co-organized by the Henan Provincial Department of Commerce and the Zhengzhou municipal government.

In 2023, Henan Province made new energy vehicles (NEVs) one of its key sectors. In the first three quarters of this year, the province's automobile exports reached 23 billion yuan ($3.2 billion), up 22.3 percent, with the exports of electric vehicles surging 67 percent to 5.2 billion yuan.

Zhang Min, vice governor of Henan Province, highlighted the province's complete NEV supply chain, from raw materials to core components and complete vehicles. Henan is now home to 17 complete vehicle manufacturers and over 600 auto parts enterprises above the designated size.

Looking ahead, Henan will leverage its advantages in geographical location, market scale, human resources, and industrial foundation to become China's leading NEV base, Zhang added.

Ye Zhenzhen, president of People's Daily Online, delivered a speech on cultivating new quality productive forces at the event, expressing the willingness to cooperate with the local government and automobile enterprises for the future development of the intelligent connected vehicle sector.

Industry leaders expressed strong confidence in Henan's automobile industry. Zhou Hongyi, chairman of Chinese internet security firm Qihoo 360, praised the province's advantages in turning itself into an automobile hub and expressed the willingness to engage substantially in the development of the province's automobile industry.

Liu Tao, co-CEO of IM Motors, a new smart electric vehicle brand under China's major carmaker SAIC Motor, noted that the Zhengzhou base of SAIC Motor's passenger vehicle branch has become the group's largest passenger vehicle production base.