Official data from the Zhejiang Department of Commerce shows that in the first five months of 2018, Zhejiang had registered outbound direct investment (ODI) of $10.05 billion, an increase of 263 percent year-on-year.

The growth can be partly credited to the strengthened investment cooperation between Zhejiang companies and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), according to ZJSTV News, a local news source in the province.

From January to May, Zhejiang invested in 56 national projects in BRI countries with a total investment of $1.255 billion, up 22.96 percent year-on-year.

China Unijes Group Co Ltd, a Taizhou company specializing in construction management, received a friendship medal from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on June 11 for its work in the construction of roads in the Southeast Asian country.  Unijes started to work on Cambodia's infrastructure projects 10 years ago and has since completed eight major ones, with a total investment of $6 billion.

"We should seize the opportunities of the BRI and explore the rapidly developing market of Southeast Asia," said Wu Yongjie, chairman of the company.

Hailiang Group, which is headquartered in Zhuji city, leads Zhejiang companies in overseas investment. At its factory in Vietnam, Hailiang's non-ferrous metal products have been exported to Australia and India, which shows the group's "going global" strategy in action. Additionally, the establishment of the factory has been a welcome boost for local jobs.