The Chinese Sci-tech City session of the 2018 Conference on Overseas Chinese Pioneering and Developing in China & the ninth Tian Changlin Forum was held at East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China) in Wuhan, Hubei's provincial capital, on Nov 22.

During the session, the start of construction work on an innovation and entrepreneurship center for overseas Chinese was announced in the zone's Chinese Sci-tech City, and the building of a science park named after Tian Changlin, a man who was born in Wuhan but spent much of his life living overseas, was announced for the area.

Guided by the work group for the country's recruitment program of global experts, and hosted by Hubei Provincial People's Government, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, and Wuhan municipal people's government, the conference was initiated in Wuhan in 2001 and has been held for 18 consecutive sessions in the city.

Initiated in 2010, the Tian Changlin Forum is held in honor of Tian, who made outstanding contributions to the development of Wuhan in education and science and technology.

This year's event took place in the city from Nov 21 to 23.

With investment of 1.6 billion yuan ($230.41 million) and covering an area measuring 260,000 square meters, the innovation and entrepreneurship center will include an incubation center for emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and chips, and an innovation museum for overseas Chinese.

Construction of the center is expected to be completed within two years.

And the science park, which has a planned area of 700 mu (46.67 hectares) and investment of around 10 billion yuan, will provide R&D, innovation, and incubation services for technology professionals.

The Chinese Sci-tech City in Optics Valley is currently home to more than 200 projects with investment from overseas Chinese, and the number will keep increasing with the construction of the innovation center and science park.

During the forum, cooperation agreements on several projects were also signed, including a tourism project worth 10 billion yuan, with investment from Sunriver Holdings.

The Chinese Sci-tech City session of the 2018 Conference on Overseas Chinese Pioneering and Developing in China & the ninth Tian Changlin Forum is held at Optics Valley in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Nov 22. [Photo/people.cn]

An artist's impression of the innovation and entrepreneurship center for overseas Chinese at the Chinese Sci-tech City in Optics Valley, Wuhan, Hubei province [Photo provided to China Daily]