Influential event promotes China and Europe's development plans for research and innovation

The 10th China-EU Business and Technology Cooperation Fair was held in the Chengdu High-Tech Industrial Development Zone from Nov 9 to 10. More than 200 delegates from 27 European countries, the United States, Israel and India attended the event.

The fair aims to deepen the attendees' understanding of relations between the European Union's Horizon 2020 program, a plan projected to promote research and innovation from 2014 to 2020, and China's Belt and Road Initiative, the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) and China's strategies to boost innovation and start new businesses, according to the high-tech zone's administrative committee.

The fair saw some progress in China-EU cooperation in investment and trade, innovation, electronic information industries, the biopharmaceutical industry, new energy and environmental protection, the committee added.

More than 300 Chinese enterprises held 800 negotiations with 150 European companies in sectors including aerospace and aviation, biopharmaceutical, machinery manufacturing, new energy and environmental protection and electronic information, which yielded more than 160 cooperation agreements.

In an innovation cooperation meeting during the fair, five enterprises from the high-tech zone in Chengdu signed agreements with five European enterprises. The two sides pledged to make thorough use of their respective resources to promote cooperation and exchanges in business, education, trade, investment and innovation, to boost both of their competences in the global market.

Since the first fair in 2002, more than 2,550 European enterprises and over 4,700 Chinese enterprises have taken part in more than 22,800 negotiations, reaching 1,625 cooperation agreements, making it one of the most influential events of its kind between China and the EU.

The cooperation fields have expanded from business and trade to research and innovation and industry relocation. At first only about 10 EU member states participated in the event, and now most EU countries are involved.

In October last year, the event held some of its promotional activities in Neijiang, out of Chengdu for the first time. These activities also went to Mianyang in Sichuan province and Qingdao in Shandong province this November. The Enterprise Europe Network built its West China Center in Chengdu and North China Center in Qingdao.

The Chengdu high-tech zone has hosted the event since 2006, fostering interstate and interregional exchanges and cooperation, and promoting the internationalization of Chengdu and Sichuan.

The high-tech zone has developed broad cooperation relations with nearly 60 agencies from 28 EU countries, making Chengdu an area of strategic importance in China's implementation of its Belt and Road Initiative, and boosting the opening-up of the entire western China region.

Cooperation platform

In 2006, the China-EU Technology and Business Cooperation Platform was set up in the high-tech zone in Chengdu to promote cooperation and exchanges in technology, trade and investment. The platform consists of innovation agencies from Chengdu and EU members, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Finland, and has become one of the most important Sino-EU cooperation platforms, serving 10 provincial regions in western China.

As the first national-level model zone for promoting innovation, Chengdu high-tech zone plans to strengthen its cooperation in research and innovation and biotechnology with Singapore, South Korea and Cuba. It will also strengthen its strategic cooperation with the Silicon Valley in the US, Tel Aviv in Israel, Valbonne in France, Bangalore in India and Hsinchu in China's Taiwan province, to achieve better bi-directional flow of innovation talent, capital and technology, and build itself into an innovation hub with international influence.

Carmen Cano, deputy head of the delegation of the European Union to China, said the EU has developed into China's largest trade partner since the two sides founded diplomatic relations 40 years ago. She said in the next 40 years, the reliance between China and EU will deepen, with innovation, research and development occupying increasingly important positions.

Cano believes China and the EU have many potential cooperation agreements in the fields of research and innovation. The EU's Horizon 2020 program shares many similarities with the Chinese government's plans to boost innovation and new business startups and there are broad cooperation areas in innovation and research.

Philippe Mariani, a senior official at the Sophia Antipolis Science and Technology Park in Valbonne, said the Chengdu high-tech zone and the Sophia Antipolis park have bright development and cooperation prospects, and internationalization is the common demand. Both parks plan to carry out more market-oriented activities and create more development opportunities and innovation clusters.

Alvaro Simon de Blas, vice-president of the European Business Innovation Centers Network, praised the incubator model in Chengdu's high-tech zone. He said that Chengdu has many development opportunities for the network's members, and he will encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to pursue business opportunities in Chengdu.

"We will deepen our exchanges and cooperation with European countries and increase the fair's coverage and influence in Sino-EU cooperation, and foster win-win cooperation in industry, investment and exchanges, so as to let Chengdu occupy a commanding height in China's Belt and Road Initiative," said Fan Yi, director of the high-tech zone's administrative committee.

Contact the writers through liyang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/20/2015 page6)