On October 26th, the 2023 International Cooperation Conference on Sustainable Development was successfully held in Jinan. The conference was hosted by the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) and co-organized by the "Sustainable Markets Initiative" China Council and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shandong Sub-Council (CCPIT Shandong).
The conference brought together over 300 guests from relevant government departments, international organizations, UN agencies in China, foreign embassies in China, the industrial and commercial sectors, as well as experts and scholars. They jointly established an international exchange and cooperation platform in the field of sustainable development, aiming to promote green, low-carbon, and high-quality economic development in Shandong. The conference yielded fruitful results, facilitating the signing of 5 cooperation projects with a total contract value of 8.45 billion yuan.
Yu Jianlong, Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and Vice Chairman of the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC); Cheng Lin, Standing Committee Member of the National People's Congress (NPC) and Vice Chairman of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); Niasha T. Weekes, Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago to China; and Zhang Zhongjun, Officer-in-Charge of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representation in China, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Raymund Chao, Chairman of the World Economic Forum Greater China, and Craig Hanson, Vice President for Food, Forests, Water & the Ocean at the World Resources Institute (WRI), delivered video speeches. Reinhold von Eben-Worlée, Vice President of the German Federal Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (BVMW); Alex Rogers, Global Senior Vice President of Qualcomm; Zhan Jingtao, Vice President of Siemens Ltd., China, and representatives from 18 other institutions and enterprises attended the conference and delivered speeches.
During the conference, Meng Xiangdong, Chairman of CCPIT Shandong, presented on Shandong's green and low-carbon high-quality development. He stated that the new Shandong in the new era is full of dynamism and boundless opportunities. As a professional trade and investment promotion agency, CCPIT Shandong will wholeheartedly provide high-quality services for overseas businesses investing and establishing ventures in Shandong, serving as the preferred platform for international enterprises entering the Shandong market and seeking partners.
The conference also featured the 2023 Jinan International Industry Matchmaking Meeting on Green and Low-Carbon High-Quality Development. This event attracted over 200 participants from government departments, international organizations, UN agencies in China, foreign embassies in China, multinational corporations, the industrial and commercial sector, as well as experts and scholars. They jointly planned cooperation in green and low-carbon industries and promoted international economic and trade matchmaking.
He Zhongjun, Vice Chairman of CCPIT Shandong, stated in his speech that Shandong is vigorously implementing the "Strong Provincial Capital" strategy, supporting Jinan in developing pillar industries such as next-generation information technology, high-end equipment, biomedicine, and advanced materials. The aim is to build Jinan into a central city in the Yellow River Basin, comprehensively enhance its internationalization level, and create a demonstration zone for green, low-carbon, and high-quality development. This will inject new momentum into Shandong's efforts to promote green, low-carbon, and sustainable development.
Zhang Zhe, Chairman of the Jinan Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT Jinan), stated that Jinan is firmly establishing the concept that "project development is the top priority," focusing on project construction to drive green, low-carbon, and high-quality development to the forefront. As the bridge for Jinan's foreign economic and trade exchanges and cooperation, CCPIT Jinan will focus on promoting industrial development, building a "1+N" industrial development promotion system, cultivating the "CCPIT Business School" independent training brand, establishing the "Dialogue with Spring City • Jinan International Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dialogue" platform, and optimizing one-stop international commercial legal services to serve enterprises and industrial development, thereby contributing to green, low-carbon, and high-quality development.
Reinhold von Eben-Worlée, Vice President of the German Federal Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (BVMW), stated in his speech that BVMW is Germany's largest association for SMEs, with approximately 270,000 member enterprises and 75 offices worldwide. The Shandong Representative Office officially opened in Jinan that day. Germany has been committed to promoting renewable energy and energy-saving environmental technologies, with many SMEs highly focused on low-carbon and environmentally friendly production processes. They hope to cooperate with China in the field of sustainable development.
Additionally, during the conference, a series of thematic meetings were held, including the 2023 Shandong International Clean Energy Industry Expo, the 2023 New Energy and Intelligent Connected Vehicle Talent Development Conference, the 3rd Shandong Hydrogen Energy Industry Conference, the Energy Storage & Lithium Battery Application Technology and Equipment Industry Exchange Meeting, the Clean and Efficient Utilization of Coal Industry Exchange Meeting, and the Wind Energy Technology and Equipment Industry Exchange Meeting. These events attracted over a hundred experts and scholars and more than 500 enterprise representatives to discuss the latest trends and cooperation opportunities in sustainable development.