Yang Han, Media Team, World Economic Forum; Tel: +86 13810567837; Email: vya@weforum.org
World Economic Forum
· The World Economic Forum held its China Business Roundtable in Shenzhen, attended by more than 100 Chinese and international business representatives, government officials and renowned scholars
· The meeting's theme was “Leapfrogging in the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” exploring in depth the drivers that can help China take the lead in the new era
· The meeting was held for the first time in Shenzhen, China’s “City of Innovation”; Shenzhen Vice Mayor Ai Xuefeng attended and delivered a welcome address
For more information, visit: https://cn.weforum.org
Shenzhen, China, November 2, 2017 — The World Economic Forum today held its “China Business Roundtable” in Shenzhen, the “City of Innovation.” More than 100 guests, including representatives of emerging Chinese industries, executives of multinational companies in China, government representatives, internationally renowned scholars and cultural figures, held in-depth discussions around the meeting’s theme, “Leapfrogging in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
The World Economic Forum is an international organization committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation. In an era of rapid technological development, the Forum pays particular attention to the complex effects of the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” on the global economy, politics and human development, and convenes people from all sectors to contribute ideas on how to address these challenges. Unlike the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, which focuses on global technological innovation, the Forum’s China Business Roundtable focuses on China and emphasizes the integration of business, cities and technology. The meeting provided an effective platform for connecting the Forum’s Global System Initiatives with China.
At the meeting’s opening ceremony, the World Economic Forum’s Chief Representative in China, David Aikman, said: “As an innovation center attracting attention in China and around the world, Shenzhen provides ideal conditions for nurturing new technologies, cultivating new businesses and forging new partnerships. We hope that the practical communication format of the roundtable will help Chinese businesses and cities connect closely with the world amid the wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, seize opportunities and grow into global innovation leaders.”
Shenzhen Vice Mayor Ai Xuefeng said at the meeting’s opening ceremony that, as the first National Innovation City and the first National Innovation Demonstration Zone established at the city level, Shenzhen has consistently made innovation its leading development strategy. It has largely established a new industrial system based on high-tech industries and advanced manufacturing, and supported by modern services. Strategic emerging industries have become an important pillar of the economy, while the city is also accelerating development of future industries such as life and health, the marine economy, aerospace, robotics, wearable devices and intelligent equipment.
Liang Linchong, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of the National Development and Reform Commission, Liang Linchong said in his remarks that, since the first “Summer Davos” meeting was held in 2007, cooperation between China and the World Economic Forum has continued to deepen and delivered significant results. The 2017 China Business Roundtable is a thematic meeting held in a local Chinese city, helping to strengthen cooperation between the Forum, local governments and participating businesses, and to explore issues of shared concern in depth.
The meeting will feature a series of interactive discussions on “China in depth,” including prospects for circular economy in the electronics industry, growth in China’s consumer market driven by technology, China’s energy transition prospects, the digital transformation of production systems, and frontier topics such as drones and precision medicine. Technology will also be incorporated into interactive details of the meeting’s design, including welcoming guests with a Face++ facial-recognition robot and providing simultaneous interpretation through Sogou Translate. Before the meeting, participants were also invited to visit Huawei’s Bantian Base to learn about the latest technological advances firsthand.
Companies participating in the roundtable include Baidu, JD.com, BGI, Tsinghua Holdings, Trina Solar, Sogou, Royole, State Grid Corporation of China, China Baowu Group, China Merchants Group, Cisco, Qualcomm and Johnson Controls, among others.
The major challenges facing the world today are shaped by the interactions of many “systems,” such as security systems affecting the environment and resources, economic systems that generate inequality, and industry systems that determine supply and demand. To foster lasting, positive change among relevant stakeholders and address systemic issues in a coordinated way, the World Economic Forum has launched a series of System Initiatives to promote public-private cooperation at global, regional and industry levels. The initiatives cover 14 systems, including manufacturing, mobility, health and healthcare, the digital economy and the future of consumption. In March this year, the Forum also established the “Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution” in San Francisco, dedicated to advancing the translation of technology into practical applications while studying its effects on society and individuals. The Centre’s current projects include artificial intelligence, the Industrial Internet of Things, cross-border data-flow governance, civilian drones, autonomous driving technology and blockchain.
Aikman also said that the roundtable is one way the World Economic Forum helps businesses strengthen their insight and systems leadership. He hopes that more Chinese businesses will join the Forum’s global community and work together toward the goal of improving the state of the world.
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