Overseas Chinese elites to gather for Hainan FTZ

Around 1,000 overseas Hainan merchants, elites and representatives of well-known domestic enterprises will gather in Sanya this week to contribute ideas and explore cooperation opportunities in constructing the China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Port) with Chinese characteristics, according to the Sanya authorities.

The 2019 Sanya Conference on Overseas Chinese Investment, Innovation and Pioneering, will be held at the Sanya Bay Mangrove International Conference Center from May 30 to June 2.

The local officials said overseas Chinese are an important force in building the Hainan FTZ and free trade port with Chinese characteristics.

Hainan is the hometown of 3.9 million overseas Chinese who are living in more than 40 countries and regions. With the theme of "gathering overseas Chinese, sharing opportunities and promoting the construction of Hainan free trade zone and free trade port", the conference will serve as a platform for friendship, introduction of talent and investment, and cooperation in technology and trade.

Organized by the United Front Work Department of the CPC Hainan Committee and Sanya government, the conference includes a main forum, eight subforums and a road show. It will be Sanya's first large-scale event to attract overseas Chinese investment and talented people, especially young entrepreneurs, according to Chen Zhengguang, a member of the standing committee of the CPC Sanya committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Sanya committee.

Apart from the High-end Forum for World Overseas Hainan (Sanya) Merchants - the main forum, the eight sub-forums are the Overseas Chinese Wealth Management and Financial Science and Technology Forum, Global Medical Device Industry Innovation Development Forum, Qionghai and Taiwan Agricultural Cooperation Forum, Digital Trade Strategy Forum, Deep-Sea Science and Technology Forum, Space Industry Forum, Artificial Intelligence Forum and Free Trade Zone (Port) Forum on High-end Talent.

About 350 people will participate in the High-end Forum for World Overseas Hainan (Sanya) Merchants. They will include two academicians and 10 political leaders of Hainan origin, 100 overseas Hainan business leaders from 30 countries and regions, 100 representatives of Hainan business communities across the country.

The participants will discuss how to take advantage of the resources of the 3.9 million overseas Chinese, many of whom live in countries taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative, to explore new opportunities for building the Hainan FTZ. Participants will also discuss developing a cross-border production chain and boosting exchanges and cooperation among young entrepreneurs.

They will discuss how to turn agreements reached at the Boao Forum for Asia 2018 Annual Conference into reality in Hainan. The agreed projects include the Hainan Merchants Bank, the World Hainan Merchants Center and an industry innovation park for overseas Hainan merchants.

The Overseas Chinese Wealth Management and Financial Science and Technology Forum, with 200 participants expected, will focus on the opening-up of the Hainan FTZ financial market and discuss how to turn Sanya into a wealth management center with international competitiveness and capability that can radiate to other areas in the FTZ.

The Global Medical Device Industry Innovation Development Forum will be a large-scale meeting of about 300 participants, including three Chinese and foreign academicians, more than 20 outstanding experts, 15 trade organizations, representatives of 100 innovative companies and specialized service institutions and a number of investors.

The forum will announce a statement on innovative cooperation among medical device manufacturers around the world. It will also launch the Sanya Testing Platform for Innovative Medical Devices.

The Digital Trade Strategy Forum expects around 300 participants and will discuss new digital service modes and opportunities in developing service trade innovation.

The Qionghai and Taiwan Agricultural Cooperation Forum will focus on developing new paths for cooperation in high-efficiency tropical agriculture to help promote rural economic growth in Hainan.

The Deep-Sea Science and Technology Forum aims to help build a demonstration zone of cooperation in developing maritime resources, deep-sea engineering technology and equipment.

The Space Industry Forum will talk about the possibilities of space industry development and establishing a national lab in Sanya while the forum on artificial intelligence will look into new opportunities of investment in building smart cities generated in the construction of the Hainan FTZ.