CHONGQING, May 18 -- A total of 88 major projects, with a contracted investment amounting to 290.7 billion yuan (about 41.55 billion U.S. dollars), were signed at the fifth Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade, which kicked off Thursday in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

Out of these projects, 84 will be located in Chongqing, with a contracted investment of 285.42 billion yuan, and among them, 56 exceeded 1 billion yuan each, accounting for 66.7 percent of the total contracted projects in Chongqing.

The projects cover a wide range of fields such as intelligent connected new energy vehicles, advanced materials, smart equipment, energy, and the processing of food and agricultural products.

Themed "Joining Hands with the West for a Brighter Future," the four-day fair has attracted more than 900 enterprises from 38 countries and regions, and 26 provincial-level regions across China.

Malaysia is the guest country of honor this year and the western provinces of Sichuan and Gansu are the guest of honor provinces. Exhibitions and forums covering diverse topics and promotional activities will be held during the event.

Statistics released by the municipal commerce commission showed that a total of 945 projects were signed during the previous four fairs, with a total investment of 1.66 trillion yuan.