Chen Yijun, Party chief of Taizhou, attends the ongoing Shanghai international automobile exhibition on April 16. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

Chen Yijun, Party chief of Taizhou, met Li Shufu, chairman of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, on the sidelines of the onging Shanghai international automobile exhibition on April 16.

Chen acknowledged Geely's efforts in research and development and boosting national domestic auto brands' competence on the world stage.

It is hoped that Geely will maintain its growth momentum and gain the upper hand when rivaling global auto brands, she said.

Chen hoped that more Geely projects will land in Taizhou and pledged more efforts in supporting business development and optimizing the business climate.

Li expressed his gratitude for the long-term support from the Taizhou government, which has bolstered Geely's growth.

The auto company reported a delivery of 2.15 million vehicles in 2018, up 18.3 percent year-on-year. The figure doubled that of 2015, which stood at roughly 1 million.

According to Li, the growth Geely achieved bucked the domestic declining trend last year and can be traced to the company's increased efforts in research and development and market expansion.

Looking ahead, Li said the company looks to expand its presence in Taizhou and further its cooperation with the city. Bullish on the company's prospects, he added that Geely is set to grasp the opportunity as the auto industry reshuffles.

Currently, Geely sells vehicles under the Geely Auto, Lotus, Lynk & Co, Proton, and Volvo brands. Taizhou is the city where the company started operation.

The latest version of car models including Volvo XC40 and Lynk & Co 01 manufactured by Geely in Taizhou debuted at the Shanghai auto fair.

More than 1,000 automobile manufacturers from 20 countries and regions participated in the exhibition, ranging from auto giants like Volkswagen and Maserati to domestic automakers such as Chery, Geely and BYD.

The exhibition is slated to run until April 25.