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Barcelona, Spain, September 20. With the romance of the Mediterranean and the warm autumn sun of southern Europe as a backdrop, more than 600 people, including representatives of more than 30 Shenzhen-affiliated overseas Chinese associations from five continents, outstanding overseas Chinese entrepreneurs, representatives of Shenzhen's government and business circles and numerous civil society organizations, and representatives from all sectors of local Spanish society, gathered at the Eurostars Grand Marina Hotel to witness the successful holding of the "6th International Shenzhen Associations Conference and Spain-Shenzhen Economic and Trade Exchange Meeting." Weng Daokui, President of the Japan Shenzhen Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Association, President of TAKARA Co., Ltd. and a well-known Chinese lawyer in Japan, was invited to attend.
The program on the 20th was tight and full, packed with highlights and substance. At 10 a.m. sharp, the opening ceremony of the "6th International Shenzhen Associations Conference" officially began. Qi Liling, President of the Spain Shenzhen General Chamber of Commerce, as host of the conference, was the first to take the stage, extending the warmest welcome to guests who had traveled from afar. Her speech voiced the sentiments of the leaders of Shenzhen associations overseas: though living abroad, their hearts remain with Shenzhen, and "actively promoting multi-level, diversified exchanges and cooperation between Shenzhen and Spain in the economy, culture, science and technology, and injecting new momentum into high-quality development" is the shared aspiration of members of Shenzhen-affiliated associations.
Guest representatives then spoke in turn, including Wang Qiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee and Head of its United Front Work Department; Hu Aimin, Acting Consul General of China in Barcelona; Roger Torrent, Minister of Business and Labour of the Government of Catalonia; and Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona. They spoke highly of the International Shenzhen Associations Conference as an overseas Chinese brand of exceptional value in technological innovation, which has created the conditions for uniting Shenzhen's strength around the world, pooling the technology and wisdom of innovation and entrepreneurship, and deepening exchanges and cooperation between Shenzhen and the world. They also praised this year's event for providing a valuable opportunity to further deepen dialogue between Shenzhen and Spain.
After a concise and lively introduction to the "China-Europe Biotechnology and Health Sciences Forum" by Qi Liling, President of the Spain Shenzhen General Chamber of Commerce, the forum officially opened. The International Shenzhen Associations Roundtable held in the morning brought together representatives of more than 30 leading overseas Chinese associations from around the world, who held in-depth exchanges on the theme "Shenzhen Associations and High-Quality Development." The day-long "China-Europe Biotechnology and Health Sciences Forum" featured lively and intense discussions on three themes: "Challenges and Opportunities in Health and Technology: Are We Ready?", "International Trade and Tourism" and "Industry and Technology."
The closing ceremony was attended and addressed by guests including Hu Aimin, Acting Consul General of China in Barcelona; Eduardo Torres, Director of Turisme de Barcelona; Mar Alarcón, Vice President of the Council of Chambers of Commerce of Catalonia; Antoni Cañete, President of the Catalan SME Association (PIMEC); Wang Qiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee and Head of its United Front Work Department; and Carlos Prieto, Delegate of the Spanish Government in Catalonia.
Qi Liling, President of the Spain Shenzhen General Chamber of Commerce, declared the "6th International Shenzhen Associations Conference and Spain-Shenzhen Economic and Trade Exchange Meeting" closed, and the baton for hosting the 7th International Shenzhen Associations Conference was passed to the UAE Shenzhen Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Association.
The conference closed, but the excitement continued. The Art Troupe of the Shenzhen Overseas Exchange Association staged a wonderful performance entitled "Charming Shenzhen," featuring carefully prepared Peking opera, acrobatics, song and dance, and magic acts, with one highlight after another. Amid music and applause from the guests, the "6th International Shenzhen Associations Conference and Spain-Shenzhen Economic and Trade Exchange Meeting" came to a successful conclusion.
Shenzhen is rich in overseas Chinese resources and is one of China's best-known ancestral homes of overseas Chinese. Since the first International Shenzhen Associations Conference was successfully held in Los Angeles, USA, in 2015, the conference has become an efficient platform for Shenzhen-affiliated overseas Chinese associations worldwide to exchange, communicate, consult, cooperate and achieve win-win results, as well as an event brand for promoting Shenzhen's image and spreading its voice. Hosted in rotation by overseas Shenzhen associations and strongly supported by the Shenzhen Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, the conference has traveled from Los Angeles, USA, to Toronto, Canada; Sydney, Australia; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Bangkok, Thailand. In Barcelona, Spain, in 2023, under the theme of "using overseas Chinese as a bridge to bring together high-end international resources," with the economy, trade and culture taking center stage to support Shenzhen's high-quality development, the "International Shenzhen Associations Conference" once again succeeded in uniting Shenzhen's strength worldwide, showing deep commitment and displaying deep affection.
Having flown halfway around the world and endured connecting flights and jet lag, Association President Weng Daokui was still in high spirits when interviewed by reporters. He explained that the Japan Shenzhen Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Association was formally established in Tokyo in September 2018, when more than 150 representatives of overseas Chinese associations in Japan, including the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Japan, as well as Japanese political and business circles, witnessed its founding, and Fan Kun, Executive Deputy Head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, led a delegation to Tokyo to offer congratulations. In June 2022, on the nomination of Founding President Jiang Feng, Editor-in-Chief of the Japan monthly edition of the People's Daily Overseas Edition, Weng Daokui was elected the new President of the Association.
Since its founding, the Association has consistently promoted Shenzhen to Chinese students at universities across Japan to attract talent to the city; actively participated in and hosted high-level economic, trade and technology forums on Shenzhen, helping to promote and foster a favorable soft environment for innovation, entrepreneurship and technology investment; consistently conveyed the true voice of Shenzhen to Japanese society and organized multiple delegations of Japanese companies to visit Shenzhen for in-depth study and exchanges; helped four Japanese companies of different types complete their registration in Qianhai, Shenzhen, and facilitated the incubation and launch of several cooperation projects; and signed a strategic cooperation MOU with BYD, a Shenzhen-based company, turning initiatives to promote economic, trade and cultural exchanges between Shenzhen and Japan into concrete action.
President Weng Daokui said that the Association's members are active in a wide range of fields in Japan, including technology, finance, manufacturing, media and culture, and that since its founding the Association has remained dedicated to connecting and promoting economic, trade and cultural exchanges between Japan and China, and especially between Japan and Shenzhen, working in a pragmatic way and staying true to its original aspirations. Attending the conference in Barcelona, he exchanged views and ideas with representatives of many fellow Shenzhen-affiliated associations and outstanding overseas Chinese entrepreneurs, which he found highly rewarding, and it further strengthened his confidence in making full use of Shenzhen's traditional strength of openness. He also noted that 12 projects signed cooperation agreements at the conference, and said that if the opportunity arises, the "International Shenzhen Associations Conference" would be most welcome to come to Japan in the future. (Photos courtesy of the organizers and Weng Daokui)
