Province shines during landmark Dubai expo

Unique resources, advantages showcased during high-profile event

High-quality products from nearly 200 Chinese enterprises are being displayed online at the ongoing Expo Dubai 2020 and attracting the world's attention.

The half-year-long Expo Dubai 2020, which was originally scheduled to open a year ago, was launched on Oct 1 this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Shanxi Week at the China Pavilion was held from Nov 8-10 both online and offline.

The offline Shanxi Week was held in Taiyuan, capital of the North China province. It was shown to buyers and visitors in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, as well as across the world, via the expo's online platform.

In addition to products, there were also shows exhibiting what Shanxi offers in terms of culture and tourism.

A special TV documentary entitled This is Shanxi, A Land of History and Modernity, featured many of the province's attractions and charms. It generated more than 160,000 views online during three days.

Shanxi's economic development achievements, advantageous industries and business opportunities were also displayed during the exhibition.

A particular highlight was Shanxi's high-quality development in relation to its economic transformation, energy revolution and low-carbon growth.

In his keynote speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the Shanxi Week, the province's vice-governor He Tiancai said: "In the next five years, we plan to build Shanxi into a demonstration zone for China's transformation in resources development; a pilot region in the country's energy revolution; and an important experimental zone for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River drainage region.

"Our five-year targets also include becoming an advanced manufacturing base in China's central regions; a new hub for opening-up in China's inland regions; and a renowned tourist destination with international influence."

The vice-governor added that all these initiatives will create huge opportunities for the international business community to cooperate with Shanxi.

He noted that Shanxi is implementing an economic transformation that is reducing its reliance on coal mining and other heavy industries and fostering new growth drivers by developing emerging, high-tech and low-carbon industries.

With all these plans in place, the vice-governor added that Shanxi is devoting much energy to developing a business environment friendly to both global and domestic investors.

"Sticking to the principles of rule of law and market orientation, learning from the best practices of the world and constantly improving services for businesses, we are determined to offer an ideal environment to facilitate collaboration with the world," He said.

Collaboration in the energy industry is an important part of Shanxi's international cooperation programs that it showcased during the Shanxi Week.

An online business promotion fair for cooperation relating to energy revolution and innovation was held after the opening ceremony.

Leading energy enterprises in Shanxi, including Jinneng Holding Group, Huayang Group and the Shanxi branch of State Grid, introduced their latest products, technologies and solutions to potential partners in Dubai and the rest of the world.

Huayang Group displayed a range of new, energy-conserving materials, including its cutting-edge aerogel and graphene, at the fair.

Wang Mingju, deputy general manager of Huayang's new materials unit, introduced the aerogel materials to the audiences attending the fair online, explaining its application as a catalyst, in heat insulation and in chemical absorption among others.

She said that aerogel is among the best heat-insulating materials in the world.

"It is set to play a bigger role in boosting energy conservation in construction as the world moves toward its goals of carbon peaking and neutrality," Wang said.

Jinneng Holding's offering at the fair was its heterojunction thin film－or HJT－solar cell technology.

The company began to supply this high-efficiency photovoltaic component to domestic solar power generation plants in 2015, and now the product has been sold in more than 30 countries, according to Yang Liyou, general manager of the clean energy arm of Jinneng Holding.

Yang gave high praise to the role of Expo Dubai 2020's online platform and the Shanxi Week event for promoting local business opportunities and showcasing Shanxi's unique image.

"I believe the cloud event made the world more aware of Shanxi and I hope to collaborate with new partners from all over the world by sharing our expertise and experiences," Yang said.