Before attracting investment, they’re “stretched too thin”; after the project is launched, they’re “on call around the clock.” This is an era where people have little choice in the matter.

The race for talent, capital, and businesses is constantly unfolding, while industrial planning and investment strategies frequently clash.

Indeed, in the world of business, speed is the ultimate advantage.

But when it comes to “anti-involution” in investment promotion, only slowness prevails.

In simple terms, investment competition “involution” means: racing to outpace others, competing amidst internal strife. Ultimately, when speed reaches its extreme, it naturally spirals into chaos; when that spiral reaches its end, one is bound to fall.

Speed is not the problem; speed that leads to internal competition is the problem. Slowness is not the answer; slowness coupled with self-reflection is the answer.

Reforming Meeting Styles and Ensuring Implementation

“Some work has barely begun, yet superiors are already demanding immediate reports.”

“Holding four or five meetings a week isn’t enough; sudden emergency inspections by higher authorities are also scheduled.”

“The pressure from the township’s performance targets is immense; even working day and night, seven days a week, makes it hard to meet them.”

Recently, I spoke with several grassroots officials who shared their experiences of being “overburdened.”

While it may seem like “stacking up” leads to success, it is actually futile.

Take meetings, for instance: half of the workday is spent in meetings. A video conference with the city in the morning, a meeting at the district level in the afternoon, and a small meeting in the deputy district head’s office in the evening.

So, once the meetings are held and the notices sent out, does that mean the investment promotion tasks have been passed down?

Cui, who communicates daily with dozens of investment promotion officers, finds that most inquiries come through the [Investment Promotion Network]. Among them, units like the Urban Management Bureau and the Inspection Brigade have an extremely urgent need for projects.

A city management official said to Xiao Cui with a sigh, “The city holds monthly coordination meetings and quarterly evaluations of each district and county—awarding red flags to the top performers and yellow flags to the laggards. I really have no idea where to find project resources.”

Xiao Cui offered some reassurance: “In some places, higher-ups take on investment targets, sign task agreements, and then break them down to departments and townships. It’s true that for non-economic functional departments, the pressure to attract investment is significant.”

At the same time, Xiao Cui worked tirelessly to assist the urban management official in submitting their unit’s verification on the [Investment Promotion Network]. Afterward, they could directly match suitable projects and simply call the companies to make contact.

About a week later, during a follow-up call, Xiao Cui learned that he had made contact with several companies specializing in new materials.

This platform covers resources across all 31 provinces and municipalities nationwide, with over 50 new projects added daily. A dedicated team tracks project information to enhance the efficiency of matching investment promoters with enterprises.

A blind pursuit of superficial comparisons often leads to judging success solely by numbers.

Let’s take a look at how district governments in Shanghai conduct their meetings.

No empty rhetoric, no reading from scripts—meetings get straight to the point! At one district government executive meeting, six agenda items were covered in just 1.5 hours.

What’s the impression? Efficient and pragmatic! Each agenda item took no more than 20 minutes, with no unnecessary pleasantries.

A strong sense of time management and high investment promotion efficiency—that’s exactly what it’s all about.

Moreover, the Shanghai government is never shy about being transparent. If they shared a plan with businesses last year, they’ll proactively update them on progress this year. More importantly, they consistently review past commitments and track progress in real time.

Although people often say, “Don’t rely on others’ maps—you won’t find your own path,” others’ maps can still be used for comparison.

Slow Pace, Big Breakthroughs

December 4, 5:30 a.m.

As dawn was just breaking, a delegation had already set out from Zhejiang, heading for Pudong International Airport.

Led by the provincial commerce department and accompanied by government officials, they were heading to Germany and France with business representatives to launch the “Thousand Delegations, Ten Thousand Enterprises Market Expansion and Order Acquisition Campaign.”

Yes, you read that right. Even in the depths of winter, when many regions are still grappling with the pandemic and unsure of what to do, Zhejiang has already sprung into action!

Zhejiang! Zhejiang! It’s Zhejiang again!

Some companies were hesitant to sign up, worried that the complex pandemic situation might make it impossible to secure return flights. To ease these concerns, Zhejiang officials stepped forward.

"Even if we have to go through fire and water, we’ll go together." This moved many companies—what else could they possibly hesitate about?

Government and business joining forces to secure orders—that’s Zhejiang!

Indeed, looking back, Zhejiang has always been hands-on and at the forefront... blazing a trail for the nation’s development.

It’s not just Zhejiang.

The Dongguan government chartered business jets and mobilized participating companies to actively prepare for the exhibition, boosting their confidence in going global to secure orders.

When pandemic policies shine a light, Dongguan’s investment promotion flourishes.

Recently, within less than a month, Suzhou flew directly to three countries, conducting two concentrated “chartered flight investment promotion” campaigns.

The purpose of these chartered investment promotion flights is straightforward: to pursue projects, monitor projects, and launch projects.

Currently, the schedules of government departments at all levels in Suzhou are being filled with one “business visit” after another.

However, when Xiao Cui spoke with investment promotion officials from various regions and asked about project coordination or progress, he received a “uniform” response: “No time right now—we’re busy with pandemic control.”

Even though the [Investment Network] has already matched projects according to the industrial park’s investment priorities, are they being set aside and ignored?

To be honest, Xiao Cui has also received feedback from project representatives asking why a certain industrial park investment promoter hasn’t responded for days.

Is it really the case that pandemic control has halted all project matchmaking? Stop looking left and right—find a breakthrough in this slower pace!

Because of this, the entire country has been “fighting the pandemic.” In the blink of an eye, three years have passed, and it seems many places are now left with nothing but the pandemic as their constant companion.

Against the backdrop of a complex trade landscape, the government should redouble its efforts to drive projects forward and maintain a steady, firm focus on openness—embodying a pioneering spirit.

Ultimately, it comes down to using the “certainty” of services and industrial foundations to counter the “uncertainty” of the development environment, thereby ensuring economic security.

The fast-forward button for projects is also the key to proactive development.

Officials dare to act, localities dare to pioneer, and enterprises dare to take the initiative. Once the path is clear, they act without hesitation… This is the secret behind some regions’ success in attracting investment.

Think More, Do More

With the Spring Festival fast approaching, the mere thought of “no return home unless necessary” brings a sigh.

Not long ago, I heard someone say, “Whether you’re rich or poor, come home for the New Year—we welcome you back.”

This was Liang Gaowu, the county magistrate of Sangzhi County in Zhangjiajie City, publicly reaching out to migrant workers to invite them home for the Spring Festival.

Instantly, it garnered countless likes. For migrant workers, this conveyed the city’s attitude, warmth, and commitment—and in doing so, the local government subtly cultivated a favorable business environment.

Previously, on a local government website, I saw a post that read: “Our company pays taxes on time but simply cannot afford to cover these costs indefinitely. We hope leaders and government departments will take notice and resolve this issue to support small and micro enterprises.”

The only response they received was an automatically generated template message. Such an approach only serves to discourage businesses.

Local protectionism has always been a barrier to a favorable business environment.

Xiao Cui spoke with an investment promotion officer and learned that a suitable company had been identified through the [Investment Promotion Network]. However, the leadership at the Investment Promotion Bureau refused to consider it.

Consequently, a local company intervened. Although the project’s qualifications were mediocre, it was ultimately approved due to a recommendation from a municipal leader.

This phenomenon underscores the necessity of implementing a “unified national market.”

With significant downward pressure on the economy at present, local governments place greater emphasis on projects that can drive local economic growth and increase fiscal revenue. In order to safeguard local economic growth, they openly or covertly favor local enterprises, making it difficult to eradicate local protectionism.

Conclusion

Which regions are putting in the most effort to attract investment?

I think we all know the answer.

Does running fast and competing fiercely really guarantee a spot at the forefront?

Not necessarily.

What is required is the ability to accurately assess the situation and the ability to make quick decisions and take swift action.

These are like two sides of the same coin—neither can be overlooked.

To avoid internal competition in investment promotion, the prerequisite for moving fast is always seeing clearly.

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