2024 Greater Bay Area Global Investment Promotion Conference Held in Guangzhou

GUANGZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 11, 2024--

On November 8, the 2024 Global Investment Promotion Conference for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area took place in Guangzhou, gathering leaders from 650 Fortune Global 500 companies and representatives from 89 countries. Co-hosted by Guangdong and the Hong Kong and Macao SARs, the event showcased the region’s progress and investment potential five years after the launch of the Greater Bay Area Development Plan.

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Huang Kunming, Party Secretary of Guangdong, opened the conference with a keynote address, inviting global investors and talents to collaborate in advancing the GBA’s status as a leading hub for innovation and connectivity. “Over the past five years, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao have forged new ties in industry and technology. We welcome partners worldwide to join us in building a world-class bay area,” he said.

Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao reiterated China's commitment to supporting the GBA’s high-level development, pledging further integration efforts across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Speaking on Hong Kong’s role, Chief Executive John Lee emphasized the city’s goal of becoming a global financial, shipping, and trading center, attracting international investment by enhancing regional connectivity and economic collaboration. Macao Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng highlighted Macao’s unique status as a free port and platform for Sino-Portuguese cooperation, emphasizing its alignment with international business standards.

Guangdong Governor Wang Weizhong shared that Guangdong ranks first in regional innovation capabilities and serves as an incubator for new technologies and business models. “Our business environment continues to lead, recognized for four consecutive years as the best in China,” Wang stated, noting that ecological and green development are core to the province's growth strategy.

The conference received positive responses from global business leaders, including BASF’s CEO Markus Kamieth, Wilmar International’s Chairman Kuok Khoon Hong, and Exxon Mobil’s CEO Darren W. Woods, who shared their experiences and visions for investment in the GBA. The event facilitated 1,933 projects, with a total investment of 2.26 trillion yuan, adding to the region’s dynamic growth. Notably, 76.8 percent of projects from past conferences have started, amounting to over 1 trillion yuan in progress.

As part of the event, Wang Weizhong led a roundtable for multinational executives to exchange insights on investment and operational plans, providing an open forum to discuss business interests and receive feedback for future development in the GBA.

2024 Global Investment Promotion Conference for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area announces a new group of global investment advisors (Photo: Business Wire)

The Detroit Red Wings fired coach Derek Lalonde on Thursday and named Todd McLellan as his replacement, a major change by general manager Steve Yzerman more than a third of the way through another disappointing season in the place known as “Hockeytown.”

The move the day after Christmas comes with the Red Wings on a three-game skid and having lost nine of their past 12. They've lost 21 of their first 34 games this season and are above only the lowly Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference.

Lalonde was nearly midway through his third season with Detroit after winning the Stanley Cup twice as an assistant with Tampa Bay. Yzerman inherited Jeff Blashill as coach when he left the Lightning for the Red Wings in 2019 and hired Lalonde in the summer of 2022 with the goal of getting the team back in the playoffs.

Despite signing three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Kane in 2023 and re-signing him last offseason, the success has not approached the Red Wings’ glory days when they won the Cup four times between 1996-97 and 2007-08 — three times with Yzerman as captain and once with him working in the front office. Instead, their playoff drought is on track to reach a ninth year — second-longest in the league behind Buffalo.

Associated coach Bob Boughner was also fired and Trent Yawney hired to work on McLellan’s staff as an assistant. McLellan signed a multiyear contract to start his fourth NHL head coaching job after stints with San Jose, Edmonton and Los Angeles.

McLellan, 57, coached his team to the playoffs in nine of the 14 full seasons he was in charge behind the bench. He returns to the Motor City after getting his first job in the league as a Red Wings assistant in 2005 and serving under coach Mike Babcock on the 2008 title run.

The Melville, Saskatchewan, native was hired by the Sharks just after and led them on three trips to the West final. Most recently, McLellan was fired by the Kings in February during the All-Star break and interviewed for other vacancies since.

This is the fourth coaching change around the NHL this season and 15th this calendar year, counting Rick Bowness' retirement in Winnipeg. The Boston Bruins in November fired Jim Montgomery, who was hired by the St. Louis Blues less than a week later, and the Chicago Blackhawks replaced Luke Richardson with Anders Sorensen in early December.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

FILE - Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan watches his team's NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks in Los Angeles, Nov. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker, File)

Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde talks to his players during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, standing, watches during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)