Hongqiao HUB Conference 2024 spotlights new quality productive forces

The Sub-forum on Building Hongqiao International Opening-Up Hub and HUB Conference 2024, is held in National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) on Nov 6, in tandem with the seventh China International Import Expo. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Shanghai is set to speed up the transformation of its Hongqiao International Opening-up Hub into a new frontier of innovation and reform that bridges domestic and international markets and fosters new quality productive forces, said Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng on Nov 6.

Making its mark as a premier event at this year's Hongqiao International Economic Forum, the fourth edition of the Hongqiao HUB Conference went ahead in Shanghai as scheduled on Nov 6.

It hosted a raft of academics, corporate representatives and other high-profile guests to share insights into fostering new quality productive forces and improving the capacity of the Hongqiao International Opening-up Hub.

The hub, which contains the Hongqiao International Central Business District and parts of neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, stands as a comprehensive hub.

It excels in transportation, industry and attracting talent. That positions it a rare place in China to boost industry-oriented innovation, radiating and driving the development of other cities across the Yangtze River Delta region, according to Alex Gu, vice-president of the Shanghai Yangtze Delta Innovation Institute.

While continuing its focus on major issues including regional collaborative development, this year's conference also shed light on the latest trends in global opening-up cooperation.

Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at the Oxford Internet Institute in the University of Oxford, spoke about the significance of the development of the digital intelligence industry, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence.

Dissecting the similarities in the innovation factors of the Hongqiao International Opening-Up Hub and Silicon Valley, he said that Hongqiao is transforming itself into an AI hub catching up with Silicon Valley in the US.

Wang Yiming, vice-chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), also brought his views to the event. He said that technological revolution is profoundly reshaping the functions, structure, and capacity of hubs, emphasizing that Hongqiao needs to leverage technology innovation as the engine to aggregate technology, talent, and financial resources.

Given its international stature, Hongqiao houses an array of high-tech enterprises and institutions. These offer rich scenarios for the research and application of trustworthy embodied AI, one of the major research directions of Jiang Yugang, vice-president of Shanghai's Fudan University.

Jiang said that the widespread application of trustworthy embodied AI could provide more comprehensive and quality services for economic and social development, which in turn would aid Hongqiao in building an international opening-up hub.

The green economy and sustainable development also took center stage at the conference. Deloitte's Asia-Pacific Climate & Sustainability leader Will Symons announced "we need China to export decarbonization to the world".

He also appealed to China to persist in its path to openness. "Continuing that journey (of opening-up) is in the interests of Shanghai, of China and of the world," Symons added.

Anu Rathninde, president of Johnson Controls Asia-Pacific, delved into the reasons behind Johnson Controls Asia Pacific's decision to establish its headquarters in Hongqiao, highlighting the area's strategic regional advantages, innovative collaborative ecosystem, and headquarters economy clustering as key strategic features. Johnson Controls had its roots firmly in Hongqiao, testifying to its commitment to innovation and development in China.

Since its first edition in 2021, the Hongqiao HUB Conference continues to provide "Hongqiao insights" into global challenges, contributing "Hongqiao solutions" to reform and opening-up, demonstrating to the world the unique and boundless envision of Hongqiao.