During a recent "Discover Weifang" ROK and Japanese media tour to the city, the participants said that they were extremely impressed with the planning officials are putting into the upcoming expo, and anticipate it will further strengthen the trade relationship between the East Asian nations.

Weifang has already attracted some top domestic companies to invest in the region.

Beiqi Foton, an automobile company headquartered in Beijing, has set up a factory in the Weifang High-Tech Industry Development Zone.

Producing both commercial and consumer-use vehicles, Foton is one of China's top automobile companies.

Weichai Group was founded in Weifang in 1946, and has since been producing construction machinery and engines for trucks and buses. Weichai recently purchased both the Italian yacht company, Ferretti, and the German hydraulics company, Linde.

In terms of Weichai's attempts to bring in future investors, many ROK and Japanese reporters told China Daily that they were most impressed by the Binhai Economic and Technological Development Area.

Though it is currently just a massive expanse of salt fields with an under-construction monument and a few highrises, Binhai is an extremely ambitious project to build an investor-friendly city along the Weifang coast.

With its annual expos and commitment to building a seaside city specifically for investors, Weifang is a city that is clearly planning for a future focused on continued trade with Japan and the ROK.

iancallison@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/07/2016 page15)