HEFEI, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The World Manufacturing Convention 2019 opened Friday in Hefei, capital of east China's emerging manufacturing hub of Anhui Province, setting a platform for industry insiders to showcase cutting-edge technologies and develop business contacts.

The four-day event, under the theme of "Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Creativity: Embracing the New Era of Manufacturing," brings together more than 4,000 representatives from over 60 countries and regions, including senior managers from Global Fortune 500 companies, according to the organizing committee.

Covering over 60,000 square meters, the convention features 10 exhibition areas such as intelligent manufacturing and outdoor driverless vehicles exploration.

As the event's guest of honor, Britain has set up a national pavilion at this year's convention and is scheduled to organize a number of cooperation and exchange activities.

International participants widely expect to connect with other businesses at the convention to expand their business in China, one of the world's most populous consumer markets.

A total of 436 projects with investments of 447.1 billion yuan (63 billion U.S. dollars) were signed at the first convention last year. More than 92 percent of them had finished business registration by the end of July, which is a good sign of contract implementation, said Zhang Jian, head of the provincial bureau of commerce.