Sichuan province's Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture signed 15 cooperative agreements with companies in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, on Thursday.

The projects, valued at more than 8.1 billion yuan ($1.21 billion), cover tourism, culture, agriculture, Tibetan medicine, new energy and food safety.

Liu Chengming, Party chief of Garze, said the prefecture has rich tourism and natural resources, and is expected to further expand cooperation with Guangdong in economic development.

He made the remarks during an investment promotion and agricultural product fair in Guangzhou on Thursday. More than 30 specialty products from Garze were on display.

"The cooperation with Guangdong companies is a win-win situation," Liu said.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Liu met with Ren Xuefeng, deputy Party chief of Guangdong and Party secretary of Guangzhou; Wang Weizhong, Party chief of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone; and Liang Weidong, mayor of Dongguan, to discuss economic cooperation between Garze and the prosperous cities in the Pearl River Delta.

Located in the southwest of Sichuan, Garze has a population of more than 1.16 million living in 18 counties.