The 2024 Hongqiao HUB Conference Commences

On November 6, the Hongqiao International Economic Forum · Hongqiao International Opening-up Hub Building Sub-forum & HUB Conference 2024 took place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The event was jointly hosted by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Ministry of Commerce, with the Administrative Commission of Hongqiao International Central Business District serving as the organizer.

As the "flagship showcase" of Hongqiao during the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the Hongqiao HUB Conference returned for its fourth consecutive year. This year's conference embraced the theme "Further Improving the Capacity of the Hongqiao International Opening-up Hub and Fully Cultivating and Developing New Quality Productive Forces", with the central focus on "Vitality Converges at the HUB, Reform Fosters New Quality Productive Forces". With an emphasis on the concept that developing New Quality Productive Forces is both an intrinsic requirement and key driver of high-quality growth, the event invited top experts, scholars, and industry representatives from both China and abroad to share their valuable insights on how Hongqiao can contribute to deepening reforms and better fulfill its national mission.

Deepening Technological Innovation and Opening-Up Functions

The Hongqiao International Opening-Up Hub serves as a dual-facing platform, connecting both domestic and international arenas. With the convergence of national strategies and its unique resource advantages, Hongqiao is ideally positioned to develop New Quality Productive Forces tailored to its specific context. This approach is pivotal in advancing high-level, coordinated opening-up.

Jiang Xiaojuan, a professor from the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and former Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council, highlighted in her speech the crucial role of a comprehensive hub that integrates transportation, business, and innovation functions, particularly in the context of shifting global political and economic dynamics. She encouraged Hongqiao to further enhance its "Three Capabilities"—the Capability of Influence, the Capability of Attractiveness, and the Capability of "Radiating"—and continue to strengthen its function as an international opening-up hub.

In his address, Wang Yiming, Vice Chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, further emphasized the profound impact of the new technological revolution on transforming the core functions, development patterns, and radiating capacities of hubs. He provided an in-depth analysis of the crucial role of digital intelligence technologies in driving the development of New Quality Productive Forces, offering valuable recommendations for Hongqiao to enhance its "Major Sci-Tech Innovation" function and steadily advance its hub functions and capacity.

Deepening Digital Intelligence Empowerment

In recent years, breakthroughs in digital intelligence technologies have continued to emerge, fostering the growth of new industries and accelerating the expansion of applications. This has sparked a paradigm shift, with the digital intelligence sector playing a crucial role in driving transformation and significantly enhancing the hub's influence and opening up vast prospects for future development.

Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at Oxford University's Internet Institute and one of the world's leading voices in digital intelligence, delivered a report in which he shared his insights on the current global trend of digital intelligence innovation and compared the innovation factors driving both Hongqiao and Silicon Valley, deeply analyzing the similarities in their successes. He particularly analyzed the exemplary significance of the digital intelligence sector, exemplified by the development of artificial intelligence, for both regions, highlighting its promising potential.

In his report, Jiang Yugang, Vice President of Fudan University and a Special Professor of Chang Jiang Scholars Program of the Ministry of Education, emphasized the crucial importance of trustworthiness and security in the development of artificial intelligence from the perspective of an AI researcher. He also introduced the latest advancements and key focus areas in the rapidly emerging field of embodied intelligence.

Deepening Green Development

The global agenda for green, low-carbon, and sustainable development is having profound effects, and China is accelerating the construction of a green, low-carbon, and circular economic system. Developing such a system involves actively participating in and driving the green transformation of global supply chains, and promoting an economic model that aligns with ESG principles. Hongqiao Hub plays a pivotal role in leading regional efforts to reduce carbon emissions and improve efficiency.

Will Symons, Deloitte's Asia-Pacific Managing Partner for Sustainability, delivered a report examining China's role in the global industrial decarbonization and clean hydrogen value chain. Drawing on the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook 2024, he shared unique insights on China's comprehensive green transformation and its efforts to build a green, low-carbon, and circular economy.

Anu Rathninde, President of Johnson Controls Asia-Pacific, started his talk by explaining why Johnson Controls chose to establish its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hongqiao. He highlighted Hongqiao's strategic regional advantages, collaborative innovation ecosystem, and concentration of headquarters economies—key factors for enterprises looking to drive industrial innovation and consolidate resources. Rathninde also shared pioneering case studies in the creation of sustainable ecosystems, emphasizing the significant value Hongqiao brings to such initiatives.

Deepening Hub Development

In the three years since the approval of the Master Plan for Hongqiao International Opening-Up Hub Development, the Hongqiao International Central Business District, as the "core" of this hub, has seen accelerated the aggregation of key industries and significant progress in functional development, with vibrant activity across various sectors. In the first three quarters of 2024, the district achieved double-digit growth in major economic indicators, including tax revenue, import-export volume, industrial output of enterprises above designated size, and fixed asset investment. It has become a dynamic and robust growth engine, driving economic development in both Shanghai and the broader Yangtze River Delta region.

At the conclusion of the conference, Yang Yanqing, Chief Strategy Officer at the Shanghai Academy of AI for Science and Economics Professor at Fudan University, led a panel discussion with distinguished guests including Gu Yuandong, Vice President of the Yangtze River Delta Institute of Technology Innovation in Shanghai; Kang Jie, Vice President of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank; Alexander Brandt, German new media artist and founder of Xenario; and NG Yon Wui, Founder and CEO of Shanghai TCab Technology Co., Ltd. From a practical standpoint, they shared personal insights, offering deeper interpretations of the forum's theme—"Improving the Capacity of the International Opening-Up Hub and Developing New Quality Productive Forces". Together, they envisioned a promising future for Hongqiao as it strengthens its dual-facing role, fostering collaborative value creation both domestically and internationally.

Drawing Momentum from Reform, Seeking Vitality through Innovation. The conference provided an in-depth interpretation of how the Hongqiao International Opening-Up Hub aligns with the objectives of integration, high quality, and internationalization. By leveraging "Major Sci-Tech Innovation" to empower "Major Transportation", "Major Conventions and Exhibitions", and "Major Business", the hub continues to enhance its radiating capacity, showcasing vibrant energy and a new outlook. Hongqiao's proactive stance highlights its commitment to advancing the Chinese path to modernization. Through consolidating the "Hongqiao Consensus" and contributing the wisdom of Hongqiao, the conference has added a distinctive "local brilliance" from Hongqiao to the grand China International Import Expo.

Source：CIIE