b'BEIJING, April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yangzhou, a renowned port and resort city located in east China\'s Jiangsu province, witnessed contracting of 180 new projects with total investment of more than 100 billion yuan at the opening ceremony of the 2021 "Flowery March" International Economy, Trade and Tourism festival kicked off on Sunday.\nInitially launched in 2002, the annual festival has become an important platform for the city to promote its business environment, introduce investment projects and enhance trade connectivity in the past two decades.\nAs an open and inclusive city with thriving businesses, Yangzhou has always been dedicated to crafting a "wonderful Yangzhou" with pleasant and convenient business environment and attracting more friends to share opportunities and reap gains in the city, said Xia Xinmin, secretary of the city\'s municipal party committee.\nDuring this year\'s festival, the city materialized signing of 180 projects in advanced manufacturing, modern service and sci-tech innovation industry, with investment in advanced manufacturing and modern service projects reaching 122.46 billion yuan.\nThe contracted projects included 32 key projects in smart energy, food, smart modular construction, computer precision components, and chemicals sectors.\nZhang Baojuan, the city mayor, said that Yangzhou will ramp up efforts to promote industrial basis re-creation and industrial chain upgrading campaigns in 2021 so as to propel clustered development of advanced manufacturing in Yangzhou.\nIn the short term, the city will take advantage of the opening of the Yangzhou Grand Canal Museum scheduled on June 18 to speed up construction of the Sanwan core exhibition park and eight exhibition zones of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park.\nFor next step, Yangzhou will continue to widen the brand effects of the city as a world canal capital, gourmet capital and East Asian cultural capital, and develop four-season tourism resources in Yangzhou,highlighted Zhang.\nIn recent years, Yangzhou kept enhancing its industrial and cultural industry basis and its gross regional product exceeded 600 billion yuan in 2020.