Anhui Province secured US$21.31 billion in investments at the 7th Investment and Trade Expo of Anhui and 11th High-Tech Fair in Hefei, the government announced Wednesday at the final signing ceremony.

Foreign direct investment accounts for 61 percent of the signed deals and will go to industries such as new energy, IT, biotech, new materials, high-end equipment manufacturing and modern services. Chizhou grabbed the single biggest investment of US$1 billion for the development of a low-carbon industry park.

Hefei received US$2.7 billion from overseas and domestic investors. Home to some of China's best universities and research bodies, such as the University of Science and Technology and Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, the city has long been favored by hi-tech entrepreneurs.

The events attracted representatives from more than 300 multinational companies, including many Fortune 500 global companies such as Hitachi, Saint-Gobain, Michelin and Cargill, which signed deals worth US$4.5 billion.

This year the sponsors have proposed 1,000 projects across various sectors to potential investors.

"We hope that these proposed projects will win interest from investors from both home and abroad, and we will spare no effort to support incoming capital and companies to grow and make profits," said Hua Jianhui, vice governor of Anhui Province.