Guangzhou, November 9, 2016 — Mr. Hu Chunhua, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Guangdong Provincial Party Secretary, met with Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins in the afternoon of November 9^th. After the meeting, Guangdong Governor Zhu Xiaodan witnessed the signing of the framework agreement between the provincial government and Cisco.

On behalf of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and the provincial government, Hu thanked Robbins for visiting the province again after half a year and also expressed his appreciation to Cisco for pursuing further development in Guangdong. Cisco has been actively driving the Guangzhou Smart City Project and planning to develop the Tonghu Science City in Huizhou since April this year with a significant progress having been made, and this indicates the prospect of the cooperation between Guangdong and Cisco, Hu said.

The innovation brought by foreign investments has been a powerful boost to Guangdong’s development. The province is now pursing an innovation-driven development strategy in an effort to become the country’s technology innovation center. Guangdong would like to further enhance cooperation with leading MNCs like Cisco to develop more advanced technologies and innovative industries, and to explore opportunities in areas including smart manufacturing and smart city through win-win partnerships.

“Cisco and China have partnered together for over 20 years to create an environment that embraces innovation to drive growth and improve the lives of its citizens, there’s a solid foundation for Cisco to further develop in China and Guangdong. Today marks an important moment in our history,” said Robbins. “Countries like China are at the forefront of delivering the opportunities of digitization. Digital transformation can enable the Guangdong Province to become a center for business innovation by investing in next-generation manufacturing and skills training to bring new products and job opportunities for skilled workers in the region. Cisco is honored to partner with the Guangdong Province to unleash the potential of digitization as we celebrate our continued commitment to China.”

The province’s Vice Governor Yuan Baocheng and Cisco Greater China Chairman and CEO Owen Chan signed the framework agreement for cooperation on behalf of the Guangdong Provincial Government and Cisco respectively after the meeting. They expressed the intention to collaborate with each other to drive IT development as well as industrial transformation in Guangdong.

Another agreement for cooperation was also signed between the Huizhou Municipal Government and Cisco.