Members of the Hong Kong delegation take pictures of an electric bus produced by Yutong Bus during a wading test conducted on Sunday at a new manufacturing base of the company in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province in Central China. (WILLIAM XU / CHINA DAILY)

Members of a high-profile delegation of foreign diplomats and business heavyweights from Hong Kong said on Sunday they are impressed by China’s rapid developments in the manufacturing of high-end products and green vehicles, and hope to step up cooperation with the Chinese mainland in these fields.

The delegation, led by Liu Guangyuan, commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is on a weeklong visit to Henan and Shaanxi provinces to tap business opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative, and strengthen cultural ties.

The visitors spent the second day of their first stop — Henan’s capital, Zhengzhou — visiting a host of leading enterprises, including a bus factory of Yutong Bus, a leading manufacturer of new-energy buses and coaches; a factory of China Railway Engineering Equipment Group; and BAA (China) Training Center — a modern simulator aviation training center.

The delegation watches students of BAA (China) Training Center — a modern simulator aviation training facility in Zhengzhou — practice their escape silks during a simulated water landing on Sunday. (WILLIAM XU / CHINA DAILY)

As a major producer of electric vehicles on the mainland, Yutong’s vehicles are sold in more than 40 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, France, Australia and Kazakhstan. The group says it commands about 10 percent of the global market share in this sector, and Yutong was the best-selling pure electric vehicle brand in Europe in 2022, according to European consulting firm Chatrou CME Solutions.

At a new-energy manufacturing base of Yutong, members of the Hong Kong delegation saw performance tests of electricity-driven buses, including their climbing and wading capabilities, and toured a vehicle assembly workshop at a plant of the company.

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The visitors also went to a factory of China Railway Engineering Equipment Group, which manufactures a complete range of tunneling equipment, such as tunnel boring machines used in the construction of bridges, highways and railways.

The company’s equipment is used in key infrastructure projects in 32 countries and regions, including Singapore, France, Italy and Denmark.

BAA (China) Training Center, which was launched in 2020, is the first aviation simulator training facility in Central China, with six sets of simulators to train pilots, flight attendants, maintenance engineers, controllers and dispatchers.

A member of the delegation tries out an aircraft piloting simulator at the BAA (China) Training Center, a modern simulator aviation training facility in Zhengzhou. (WILLIAM XU / CHINA DAILY)

The center is an important supporting infrastructure under the Air Silk Road program, which currently operates airfreight services between Zhengzhou and Luxembourg.

Commemorating its 10th anniversary this year, Air Silk Road has become a key cooperation project under the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as a driver of Henan’s aviation industry.

Wilhelm Brauner, who chairs the Austrian Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong and Macau, told a business promotion the visit has showcased China’s prowess in rail, aviation and new-energy vehicles.

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Recalling his last visit to Henan in 1995, Brauner said there have been dramatic changes in this region in the past few decades. He hopes to encourage members of his chamber and their home countries to strengthen cooperation with China.

He also expects to see tourism making a bigger contribution to Henan’s economy, saying Austrian tourism experts are eager to share their experiences with their counterparts in Henan.

A tunnel-boring machine with a special coating is seen at a factory of China Railway Engineering Equipment Group during the delegation’s visit to Zhengzhou on Sunday. (WILLIAM XU / CHINA DAILY)

Benjamin Sigg, co-president of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, told China Daily he was greatly impressed by mainland enterprises, not only with their scale of operations, but also their achievements in their respective areas.

Referring to the various types of new-energy vehicles the delegation saw in Zhengzhou on Sunday, Sigg said he hopes Switzerland can import some of them in the future, and deepen cooperation with China in green energy.

A member of the delegation poses in front of an aircraft cabin crew simulator at the BAA (China) Training Center, a modern simulator aviation training facility in Zhengzhou on June 25, 2023. (WILLIAM XU / CHINA DAILY)

Buhari Sirait, consul of customs at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in the HKSAR, said he was particularly interested in CREG’s tunnel-boring machines. He said many of the machines have been utilized in his country’s high-speed railway project, which was jointly built by Indonesia and China.

Ayu Sagita, consul of trades at the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong, said Henan’s rapid growth in trade and transportation impressed her most. She looks forward to exploring business opportunities in logistics during the delegation’s visit to the mainland’s inland provinces.

The delegation will tour historical and cultural sites on Monday, including Shaolin Temple in Zhengzhou and Longmen Garrotes in Luoyang. The visitors will proceed to Xi’an and Yan’an in Shaanxi province in the next few days before wrapping up their tour on June 30.