The organizer holds a thematic dialogue for the participants. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Ma based her upbeat analysis on the unprecedented opportunities that lie in the nation's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), the recent signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) among 15 Asia-Pacific countries, as well as the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

However, she noted that Guangdong needs to continue its reform and innovation endeavors. It also needs to make use of its advantages in agglomerated high-end manufacturing and advanced service enterprises, as well as high-caliber professionals and research and innovation establishments to forge closer cooperative ties to overcome the post-COVID-19 pandemic setbacks and turn crises into opportunities.

Liu Yuelun, chairman of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that opening-up and innovation were the two key themes of investment promotion services.

"Integrating opening-up efforts with innovation entails more and more innovative corporate consortia. Leveraging the synergy of both international and domestic resources for independent innovations leaves much work for the Guangdong Investment Promotion Association to do," Liu said.

As one of the most preferred destinations for foreign capital in China, Guangdong has set up more than 247,000 foreign-funded enterprises by the end of 2019, accounting for 25.7 percent of the nation's total. Its committed foreign investments added up to $378.58 billion, 18.6 percent of the country's total, official statistics indicated.