On March 27, the opening ceremony of the 2025 ZGC Forum Annual Conference was held in Beijing. Zhang Guoqing, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended and opened the annual conference. Yin Li, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, and Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, were also present.
Other distinguished attendees included: Mo Gaoyi, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of the State Council Information Office; Yin Hejun, Minister of Science and Technology; Zhang Yuzhuo, Chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council; Hou Jianguo, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Li Xiaohong, President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; He Junke, Secretary of Party Leadership Group, Vice President in charge of daily work, and Chief Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the China Association for Science and Technology; Huang Xiaowei, Secretary of Party Leadership Group, Vice-President and First Secretary of the Secretariat of the All-China Women’s Federation; Yin Yong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Beijing; Li Xiuling, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress; and You Jun, Deputy Secretary and Head of the Organization Department of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee.
Zhang Guoqing emphasized that the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is deepening. As President Xi Jinping has pointed out, scientific and technological innovation is a key engine for human progress, which gives rise to new industries, models, and drivers of growth, and serves as a core factor in developing new quality productive forces. China is fully implementing its innovation-driven development strategy, and has achieved substantial results in the integrated development of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, with growing momentum and vitality of new industrialization, and steady progress in developing new quality productive forces.
Zhang stated that China is ready to work with all countries to explore new models of global scientific and technological cooperation featuring mutual benefits and win-win results, and he called on participants to do the following: First, jointly steer the development of new quality productive forces through scientific and technological innovation, by bolstering original and disruptive innovation and deepening the integration of scientific, technological, and industrial innovation. Second, work together to address global challenges through scientific and technological innovation, by expanding and deepening research collaboration in areas such as climate change and energy security. Third, collaborate to promote shared benefits for all countries through scientific and technological innovation. This includes facilitating cooperation in research infrastructure, mutual learning among innovators, and sharing of innovation achievements, so that scientific and technological progress will benefit mankind as a whole.
High-Tech Show at the Opening Ceremony
Yin Li noted that the ZGC Forum has been held for 18 years. President Xi Jinping, who attaches great importance to the forum, has sent congratulatory messages on three occasions, guiding and supporting its development into a national-level platform for global exchanges and cooperation in scientific and technological innovation. Boasting rich educational, scientific, and human resources and dynamic innovation, Beijing is accelerating efforts to build itself into a global innovation hub, a global leader in the digital economy, and a reservoir of best minds. The city will continue to enrich innovation resources, striving to become an incubator of original innovation and actively promoting scientific and technological advancement at home and abroad. Efforts will be made to facilitate the commercialization of research findings and develop Zhongguancun into a world-leading science park. This includes fostering three trillion-yuan-level industrial clusters in the fields of next-generation information technology, scientific and technological services, and pharmaceutical and health, with a focus on establishing the park as a pacesetter in future industries. Beijing will fully energize innovation, foster a world-class innovation ecosystem, and harness technological innovation as a key driver of economic growth. Creating an enabling environment with accessible services and developing a core hub for open innovation are also essential to deepening international cooperation.
Prior to the opening ceremony, Zhang Guoqing toured the permanent exhibition at the Zhongguancun Exhibition Center and engaged in discussions with researchers there.
Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and Ebba Lund, CEO of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP), delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. The event also featured the release of “China’s Top 10 Scientific Advances of 2024” and major scientific and technological achievements of the 2025 ZGC Forum Annual Conference.
High-Tech Robot Performance
The 2025 ZGC Forum Annual Conference, themed “New Quality Productive Forces and Global Science and Technology Cooperation”, brought together around 1,000 domestic and international participants for its opening ceremony, including scientists and engineers, corporate executives, government officials, and representatives of international organizations.
(Written by Qi Mengzhu and Fan Junsheng)
