The 2019 Conference on Overseas Chinese Pioneering and Developing in China kicks off Thursday in Wuhan. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

The 2019 Conference on Overseas Chinese Pioneering and Developing in China kicked off Thursday in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, attracting more than 1,800 participants from 62 countries and regions.

Agreements were reached on 166 projects, including 65 worth over 100 million yuan (about 14.2 million U.S. dollars) each, according to the organizers.

A signing ceremony was held on the same day for 30 major projects expected to be settled in Hubei, covering biomedicine, manufacturing, materials, energy, chip making, eco-agriculture and other areas.

Ian Fok Chun-wan, CEO of Hong Kong-based Fok Ying Tung Group, said the conference has served as a bridge connecting overseas Chinese with their homeland and a key platform for innovation and starting businesses.

"Overseas Chinese should be messengers between China and the rest of the world, promoting China's achievements and opportunities," he noted.

Since 2001, more than 2,300 projects worth over 390 billion yuan had been signed at the main venue of the conference.