China is poised to showcase significant scientific and technological achievements at the upcoming 2024 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum), scheduled to take place in Beijing from April 25 to 29. The forum will spotlight cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), life sciences, and new materials, offering a glimpse into the nation’s advancements in these pivotal areas.
Chen Jiachang, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, announced at a press conference in Beijing that the forum will feature the establishment of a trade and cooperation platform. This platform will highlight over 3,000 scientific and technological achievements from more than 40 countries and regions, fostering international collaboration and innovation.
“The ZGC Forum will emphasize China’s commitment to openness and cooperation by inviting international scientific organizations, scientists, innovative enterprises, and investors,” Chen stated, underscoring the country’s dedication to global innovation partnerships.
Established in 2007, the Zhongguancun Forum has evolved into a national-level open innovation platform and an international forum, focusing on innovation and development. Themed “Innovation: Building a Better World,” this year’s edition will comprise five major sections, including forums and meetings, technology trading, unveiling of achievements, and competitions in cutting-edge fields.
With up to 120 events planned, invitations have been extended to top scientists, including Nobel laureates, to engage in discussions on open innovation and explore opportunities for mutual development. The forum aims to be a converging point for global thought leaders and innovators.
Yu Yingjie, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Beijing Municipal Committee, revealed that the 2024 ZGC Forum will host 17 parallel forums, inviting 19 international organizations and foreign government departments. These forums will cover a broad spectrum of topics, promoting a wide-ranging dialogue on scientific progress.
The competitions in cutting-edge fields have attracted over 3,100 entries from 75 countries and regions, covering areas such as quantum information, photon computing, and the metaverse. These contests aim to identify and support groundbreaking projects with the potential to drive future innovation.
In conjunction with the forum, the eighth China Science Fiction Convention will be held from April 27 to 29. As a parallel sub-forum of the 2024 ZGC Forum, it will focus on technology, creation, and industry development in the realm of science fiction, highlighting the intersection between imagination and innovation.
Zhongguancun, located in northwestern Beijing, is renowned as “China’s Silicon Valley.” It houses more than 17,000 national high-tech enterprises and serves as China’s first national high-tech industrial development zone. According to Yu, the total revenue of major enterprises in Zhongguancun in 2023 is expected to reach 8.6 trillion yuan (about $1.2 trillion), accounting for approximately 16.7 percent of the total for the 178 high-tech zones in the country.
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China set to unveil major sci-tech achievements at Zhongguancun Forum
cgtn.com
