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The 19th CHITEC Closed

2016-6-24 14:15:10

On the afternoon of May 22, the 19th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo (CHITEC) successfully ended.

Themed "promoting scientific and technological innovation to lead industrial transformation", the 19th CHITEC aimed to serve the national innovation-driven strategy and promote international sci-tech innovation, exchange, and cooperation, by bringing together a number of high-tech industry leaders, showcasing an array of new and high-tech achievements, promoting premium projects, and by exploring new ideas and models for the development of the sci-tech sector.

The 19th CHITEC embraced innovation in every way. Every bit of the event oozed a vibrant and dynamic atmosphere—where it was all about cooperative innovation, stepping up commercialization of research findings, making breakthroughs in key areas, leading transformation, and competing for future. Here at the Expo, new ideas, new technologies, new business formats, new services, and new business models were mushrooming; new industries, new industrial chains, new industrial clusters, and new industrial systems were taking shape; and new economy and new powerhouse were being fostered. The 19th Expo had the following features in 7 aspects:

1. Bring together original, leading achievements to facilitate the implementation of the asymmetric overtaking strategy; 2. Strategic emerging industries gain momentum, spurring economic transformation and upgrading; 3. Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet+ in full swing, industrial interaction and upgrading picking up speed; 4. Facilitate open sci-tech cooperation, expand development space for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, etc.; 5. Highlight ecological technology, pursue green development; 6. Champion people-oriented sci-tech, boost consumption upgrading through supply-side reform; and 7. A groundswell of innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives, with the 3.0 version of the mass entrepreneurship platform becoming available. Currently, China is already standing at the forefront of the global sci-tech innovation campaign, starting to keep abreast with other nations and even lead the world in this regard.

According to incomplete statistics, this Expo registered RMB 79.642 billion in the total contract value of technical transactions and industrial cooperation projects. This year's Expo took on some new features in comparison with the previous events. First, there were more commercialization projects of research findings, covering such sectors as electronic information, optical- mechanical-electrical integration, intelligent transportation, and agricultural sci-tech; second, Beijing's sister provincial-level regions recorded a significant increase in the contract value of newly signed sci-tech projects, accounting for 28% of the national total (China's central and western part represented 12%), which demonstrated the influence of the Expo as a nationwide platform; third, the new-generation IT and the Internet+ projects were responsible for 19% of the total contract value nationwide, indicating the wide application of big data and the creation of new business formats as a result of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the smart city construction; and fourth, the projects regarding innovation platform building accounted for 15% of the national total contract value, meaning a better-developed ecosystem for innovation & entrepreneurship.

The 5-day event attracted an attendance of over 220,000 for a variety of activities. The immensely popular exhibition received more than 200,000 visitors in four days; the 12 trade promotion activities attracted nearly 6,000 local and foreign businesspersons; and the 6 forums, which enjoyed a groundswell of enthusiasm from the industry, were addressed by 182 prominent figures nationally and internationally, drawing more than 5,000 audiences. Attending the event were 39 overseas delegations from three international organizations and 34 countries, as well as domestic delegations from China's 29 provincial-level regions.

Over the past 19 years, the CHITEC has delivered more and more results which have become increasingly significant. Novel traits and trends in 7 dimensions were recognized in the 19th CHITEC.

I. Bring together original, leading achievements to facilitate the implementation of the asymmetric overtaking strategy

This year's Expo teemed with sci-tech achievements in independent innovation. A large number of original, globally leading sci-tech achievements positioned "Created by China" favorably in the international high-tech arena, taking it up to a new level. Breakthroughs were made in some major, critically important, and much-needed technologies, filling China's national strategic gaps and driving its productivity significantly forward.

In the aerospace sector, for example, there were significant achievements as represented by Yutu (Jade Rabbit) lunar rover model, and the solid rocket engine for SJ-10, China's first microgravity scientific experiment recoverable satellite.  Meanwhile, forefront marine sci-tech also witnessed remarkable achievements. The 3rd International Marine Sci-Tech & Marine Economy Expo (CIME) provided a vivid glimpse of China's efforts to build itself into a great marine power marching farther and diving deeper into the ocean. A wide range of new equipment (their models) made their debut, including the "Huandao Jiaolong" (flood dragon) manned submersible, the “Science” comprehensive research ship for marine science, the "Discovery" atmospheric diving suit (ADS) for deep-sea oil & gas prospecting and drilling suit, and various underwater robots. The "Huandao Jiaolong" manned submersible is China's first fully transparent manned submersible; the atmospheric diving suit (ADS) is dedicated to developing deep-sea oil & gas resources and has been ranked among China's major sci-tech projects; the “Science” comprehensive research ship for marine science represents a national key sci-tech infrastructure project, offering voyage and observation capabilities around the globe.

The agricultural machinery cloud platform developed by Harbin Institute of Technology (based in Heilongjiang Province) allowed the detection of deep ploughing by agricultural machinery for the first time in the world; the MOCVD (Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition) device designed by Guangdong Province tackled key technical challenges in the core equipment for the production of semiconductor materials, breaking up the 30-year international monopoly in this respect.

The model of a novel Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) system became the "superstar" of the Expo, attracting a lot of audiences. As an original project of China, the TEB system has applied for national patents for many of its ingenious technologies. The successful application of the TEB system, if possible, would create an emerging industry with enormous market potential, according to the industry. The Changsha Maglev Project represents China's first middle-low speed Maglev express with proprietary intellectual property rights. It has been put into commercial operation. The construction of the maglev project can help build up the maglev industry and inject a new driving force into the urban economy.

II. Strategic emerging industries gain momentum, spurring economic transformation and upgrading

After years of cultivation, China's strategic emerging industries are gaining speed. This Expo served as a sci-tech arena for a cornucopia of the latest and most sophisticated technologies, products, and projects with the greatest market value, presented by different areas of the nation. This sci-tech arena offered an intuitive look inside China's ambition to shift from a factor-driven approach to an innovation-driven one

Beijing, a heartland of sci-tech innovation, strongly featured in the Expo. The city's eight districts (e.g. Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang, Shunyi, Changping) showcased their latest achievements in the new and high-tech sector. Themed "Smart Zhongguancun, New Powerhouse for Entrepreneurship", Zhongguancun focused on forefront technology and game-changing sci-tech results, displaying a wide array of innovative technologies and products with proprietary intellectual property rights and technical prowess in such sectors as big data, human-computer interaction, intelligent manufacturing, and the Internet of Everything (IoE). Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA) showcased its latest results from its five technological innovation centers respectively in integrated circuit, new display technology, biomedicine, the Industrial Internet, and intelligent manufacturing.

Guizhou Province impressed the audiences with its eye-catching big data and cloud computing industries. Its industrial cloud is shaping an all-new industrial ecosystem. Shandong Province highlighted its achievements in modern agriculture. At present, a number of agricultural industry clusters—featuring leading technologies, high-end business formats, advanced models, complete industrial chains, good circulation and high efficiency—are taking shape in the Yellow River Delta of the province, with a turnover of RMB 100 billion. Sichuan Province, by contrast, presented some of its globally leading industrial technologies, such as the real-time reconnaissance UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), the high-speed embedded processor, the laser TV screen, the single-point diamond ultraprecise roller die machine tool (China's largest one and with the highest precision globally), as well as the Fresnel lens mold machine tool. Hebei Province also delivered stunning innovation results in high-end manufacturing, new energy, biomedicine, and other sectors. Additionally, some regions of China found a niche in the Expo with their distinctive industry, for example, Shenzhen in new energy, Qingdao in pharmaceuticals of marine biological origin, Chongqing in new materials, and Tibet in highland-based biological health.

III. Artificial intelligence and the Internet+ in full swing, industrial interaction and upgrading picking up speed

As shown in this Expo, China has already entered the intelligent era.

Both AI and IoT represent trendsetting technologies, promising to spawn a range of new industries. AI products were ubiquitous at the Expo, where VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented virtuality) became the hottest words. At the exhibition area for culture & sci-tech integration, VI technologies such as Baofeng Mojing (magic glass) and Fengkuang Yiwan (crazy fun) delivered unprecedented entertaining experiences; the naked-eye 3D light box appeared to bring objects tantalizingly close to viewers. With a globally unique immersive curved screen and scores of national patents for invention, the box perfectly combines display technology with the human optical system, setting the trend for people-oriented visualization.

The exhibition area of Zhongguancun was awash in VR and AR products. 7invensun VR-based eye-controlling module can be widely used for VR-assisted human-computer interaction and for correction of optical distortion and dispersion. Xiaoyezi The ONE smart piano, the world's first-ever intelligent classical piano that supports bluetooth connectivity and can teach how to play the piano. Ah U Huanjing (magic mirror), a smart product for children, makes learning more interesting. Ant VR helmet has been upgraded to 2.0 version and is leading the technical trend with its enhanced VR, AR, and holographic reality features.

Robots remained highly popular. Atomrobot developed by Tianjin University represents the first kind of Chinese-made robot that has been exported to the United Kingdom. A range of small and medium-sized underwater robots have become the pioneer in developing marine resources. Service robots made a hit. A variety of robots— companion robots for home use, dancing robots, soccer robots, and patron robots—came on the scene one after another. The robot You You (literally a true friend) is the second commercialized service robot following pepper, a Japanese-made emotional robot. Using an independently developed myrobot system, You You features face recognition and can be widely applied in a range of public sectors.

Smart cars captured viewers' eyes. The biggest hit was a new energy driverless car developed by Beijing Automotive Industry Group Co., Ltd.

The Internet+ has emerged as a key enabler for all industries to improve total factor productivity (TFP). The Industrial Internet is radically altering the landscape of China's  manufacturing industry. The hydraulic robot developed by Zhongguancun owns core technology of "Made in China 2025" strategy. It can digitalize a huge amount of manufacturing equipment, thus helping shift the equipment manufacturing industry of China towards automation, informatization, and intelligentization. 3D printing is gaining momentum, opening up a new era for customization. The world's first self-service cloud printing platform—VEP cloud printing has been built. Dream Ink Inc. designed the firs-ever full-automatic liquid metal personal electronic circuit printer in the world. Capable of directly printing integrated circuit, this globally leading technology will upend such sectors as the customized manufacturing of electronic circuit.

In Xinjiang, the horse industry based on the Internet+ has facilitated tie-in between the industry and the horsemanship consumption market. As a result, horses, contests, horse-riding travel lines, ethnic horse culture, and horse-based biotech products have been commercialized. The intelligent agriculture exhibition area of Zhongguancun simulated the scenario of an eco-farm, showcasing the innovative application of the mobile Internet, IoT, big data, and micro smart sensors in improving agricultural resource utilization, fine management of agricultural production, and soil moisture monitoring, among others.

The show of culture+sci-tech integration demonstrated the latest results achieved in the Internet+culture. A wide range of new offerings were on display, including SANSA, a premium life aesthetics brand dedicated to designing rococo innovative products; Beijing Gift creative tourist souvenirs; table ware for state banquets; and licensed merchandise for Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

O2O education is gaining popularity. The Ruiyi cloud education system offers a massive, normalized educational VR experience covering all subjects throughout the entire process. The 84-inch full-lamination capacitance touch panel all-in-one machine, developed by Opton company, created a new way of electronic writing for online education.

The Internet+ healthcare exhibition area showcased the application cases of cloud-based health management in epidemiological surveillance, national health management, household elderly care, and more aspects. In addition, there were innovative applications in online medical consultation, remote consultation, remote medical imaging, and digital pathology technique.

IV. Facilitate open sci-tech cooperation, expand development space for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, etc.

The 19th CHITEC responded positively to major national strategies such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Collaborative Development and the "Belt & Road" (B&R) initiatives, in an effort to expand open sci-tech cooperation and promote mutually beneficial development.

At the Expo, Hebei positioned itself as a new space for functional dispersal of Beijing and Tianjin, a new base for factor transfer, and a new platform for incubating and commercializing innovations. It displayed its southern innovation corridor pivoting on the Hebi-Southern Beijing Pilot Zone for Transfer and Commercialization of Research Findings; the northern green corridor pivoting on a sci-tech Winter Olympic Games 2022; and the modern urban corridor pivoting on the modern agriculture sci-tech demonstration zone that surrounds Beijing, the capital city.

The first Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Sci-tech Agriculture Credible Brands Promotion Meeting attracted more than 100 credible sci-tech agriculture companies. It explored such issues like the construction of credible sci-tech agriculture brands and safety of agriculture products and foods concerning Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei collaborative development, in a bid to forge an information traceback platform for agricultural products and to materialize complementary advantages in sci-tech agriculture in the region.

The CHITEC put its focus on the collaborative development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. At the Zhongguancun Innovation Forum, China Unicom said it would continue its efforts to build an integrated telecoms network in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and unify tarrifs in the region. Additionally, the company pledged to help build a collaborative development system for modern agriculture, by virtue of its agriculture IoT and e-commerce solutions. The Zhongguancun–Baoding Collaborative Innovation Development Forum featured discussions about allowing Zhongguancun to play an innovative and instrumental role in facilitating collaborative development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The Summit announced the establishment of an operation center of Zhongguancun Magazine in Baoding, which is domiciled at the Baoding Alliance of Energy Conservation and Environment Protection Industries. The center will be built into an incubator for innovation and entrepreneurship projects for industry-university-research institution integration of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

The meeting on popularization of sci-tech research findings and business cooperation projects rolled out some projects around the B&R Initiative and regional collaborative innovation. B&R Business Salon - Investing in Iran released Iran's projects investment information, so as to promote economic development of China and Iran. Moreover, the 3rd CIME was themed "Develop marine economy and facilitate 21st Maritime Silk Road".

V. Highlight ecological technology, pursue green development

At present, environmental problems have become a pain point and a major concern of people. As such, this Expo worked energetically to popularize technologies for energy conservation, ecological protection and restoration, in an effort to promote green development.

Heilongjiang Province presented a number of its new and high-tech projects in energy conservation and environmental protection. Hebei Province showcased its microbial agent green bio-fertilizer and biological protein feed, which eliminates chemical pollution. The biomass continuous internal thermal carbonizing and purifying equipment enables development across carbon, gas, oil, electricity, fertilizer, and other sectors. South China University of Technology presented its floating array pendulum wave energy conversion technology that had undergone a successful offshore test globally. Sun Yat-Sen University demonstrated its self-developed catalyzed synthesis, application development, and industrialization technology for the CO₂-based perfectly degradable plastics, which open up a new avenue for addressing white pollution.

Zhongguancun ecology exhibition area highlighted some energy-saving and environment-friendly technologies and products in such sectors as detection of pollutant emission, boiler and kiln upgrading, utilization of waste heat and pressure, application of energy alternatives, comprehensive treatment of waste, and cyclic utilization of recycled water. The cloud detection technology, combining the Internet, smart detection equipment, and the IoT, offers smart big data services for prevention and control of pollution by vehicles and supervises the quality of emission detection throughout the process, thereby eliminating detection frauds. The Taoke smart air purifier, using a unique washing-style air purification technology, is capable of cleaning formaldehyde, PM2.5, and other pollutants, offering a range of benefits like low maintenance cost, environmental-friendliness, and long-acting effects.

Circular economy and green development also featured prominently in this Expo. The 11th Circular Economy Forum, themed "New Directions under the 13th Five-year Plan", examined such issues as circular economy fostering emerging industries, and innovating business models.

VI. Champion people-oriented sci-tech, boost consumption upgrading through supply-side reform

Sci-tech and people's livelihood are inextricably linked with each other. New supply will create new demand. This Expo perfectly exemplified embracing sci-tech innovation to expand effective, mid- to high-end supply so as to boost consumption upgrading.

It systematically displayed emerging products in elderly care, healthcare, educational training, the Internet and IT, smart home, culture & entertainment, in a bid to stimulate consumption. Elderly care and health industries became the bright spot of this year's event. The Zhongguancun health+ exhibition area brought together a few biological health companies including Pins Medical Co., Ltd, Haodf.com, Jiahe Baishan Technology Development Co.,Ltd, Northland Co., Ltd. These exhibitors showcased innovative applications in such sectors as new drug R&D, medical apparatus and instruments, gene testing, and health management, presenting a micro bio-health industrial chain. The PINS brain pacemaker broke up the exclusive technical monopoly of a US company and has served Parkinson patients. The Dnurse smartphone-based glucose meter and iHealth sphygmomanometer have opened up a new era for management of chronic diseases. The BerryGenomics gene testing and treatment instrument provides a noninvasive integrated solution for clinical disease screening and diagnosis. Other health products on display associated with people's lives included the Maixingren nasal air purifier developed by Wansheng Renhe Technology Co., Ltd, as well as the Baoshian food purifying machine.

More notably, a wide array of smart products, underpinned by cloud computing and the Internet technology, demonstrated how fast our life and the world have been changing. Precise ID authentication technologies like Face recognition and finger vein recognition have delivered convenient logon experience. With the availability of Didi station and Didi big data scheduling, smart traffic is enabled. At the Expo, Xicheng District of Beijing focused on smart wearable devices, food safety, smart home, smart traffic, smart city, all of which are closely associated with the livelihood of residents. The information platform helps ensure food safety from field to table. And an impressive array of smart products are becoming accessible to families, making their homes more intelligent. These offerings involve household security alarm, home music, visual intercom, access control fingerprint control system, wireless router, IPTV, smart patch board, Xiaoshuidi monitor, and mobile terminals.

VII. A groundswell of innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives, with the 3.0 version of the mass entrepreneurship platform becoming available

Innovation and entrepreneurship projects were gaining full momentum during the Expo. A large number of innovation & entrepreneurship demonstration bases, entrepreneurship incubators, open laboratories, and industrial & technical alliances from across China jointly attended the Expo, where they shared their innovation stories and demonstrated a spirit as makers. The Expo, therefore, strives to build a compete entrepreneurship service system and an excellent innovation ecosystem for these dream catchers.

Qingdao City from Shandong Province showcased its mass entrepreneurship system as represented by Hiworld, Blue Silicon Valley Entrepreneurship Center, and Qingdao Wusi Maker City. Hiworld is a free technology tie-in platform that supports direct transactions between the buyer and the seller; the Blue Silicon Valley Entrepreneurship Center represents a marine+ incubator; and the Wusi Maker City is an integrated maker community.

In Beijing, Chaoyang District, Dongcheng District, and Shunyi District demonstrated their mature maker space and incubation systems. Changping District showcased the urban demonstration project of the national innovation & entrepreneurship base for small and micro businesses. Its "Hometown Entrepreneurship" project demonstrated the ecosystem for innovation & entrepreneurship; and the innovation & entrepreneurship communities in Huilongguan and Tiantongyuan are committed to building themselves into distinctive, dynamic, and economically sound communities.

The exhibition area for Beijing Yizhuang cutting-edge sci-tech innovation had a road show zone, in which noted local incubators like Yizhuang Chuangtouhui, IC Coffee, and Grasp Science and Technology Co., Ltd highlighted the new ecosystem for innovation & entrepreneurship and showcased projects in this regard, by dint of product demonstration, exchange of creative ideas, and project tie-in. The Yizhuang Industrial Innovation Map teased out key ingredients for innovation & entrepreneurship and presented a clear picture of local ecosystem in this regard, offering systematic guidance and services to both start-ups and investors. Qinghua Holdings Co., Ltd, TusPark Ventures, Chekucafe, ChinaSoft International, and other innovation & entrepreneurship platforms used their own example and illustrated the exemplary and prominent role that Zhongguancun has been playing in advancing the construction of the innovation & entrepreneurship demonstration base.

To date, the Zhongguancun Innovation & Entrepreneurship Platform has evolved from version 1.0 (only providing no-frills services) to version 2.0 (offering value-added soft services), and to the current 3.0 version, which features sharing and integration of entrepreneurship resources, vertical specialization, and a multi-dimensional smart ecosystem.

2017 will mark the 20th anniversary of the CHITEC. By then, the CHITEC Organizing Committee will stage a series of activities under the banner of "My Growth Story with the CHITEC", in a bid to demonstrate its significant status and role in China's sci-tech progress and socio-economic development, as well as its unique brand value.

The 20th CHITEC is scheduled to be held  from May 18 to 21, 2017.