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On the afternoon of March 28, the Japan Shenzhen Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Association, now in its sixth year, held its 2024 Annual Forum and New Year Gala in Tokyo.
"No empty talk: we must stay closely focused on the theme of our times, developing 'new quality productive forces,' and on the task of our times, connecting with Shenzhen's technology." While preparing the forum, Association President Weng Daokui and the Association's core members set the theme for this year's discussion: how to actively promote exchanges and cooperation between Japan and Shenzhen in new quality productive forces.
The forum opened with a video showcasing Shenzhen's latest achievements, giving participants another chance to "experience Shenzhen" and "get to know Shenzhen," and providing them with more "basic material" for "presenting Shenzhen" and "spreading the word about Shenzhen."
Association President Weng Daokui then delivered a work report, reviewing the Association's efforts over the past year in the "post-pandemic era" and outlining its direction for this year.
In his address, Tian Changhao, Chief Representative of the Shenzhen Economic and Trade Representative Office in Japan, noted that Shenzhen is moving from a "special" zone to a "bay" area, becoming part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Using detailed data, he presented the latest developments in Shenzhen's economy and technology, showing a city full of vitality and promise.
Diao Xu, Vice President of the Association and Representative Director of Solid-State Battery Co., Ltd., opened the forum's presentations with an important topic dubbed a "dark horse among new technologies": "An Introduction to All-Solid-State Battery Technology and Future Prospects." He noted that in December 2023, 27 organizations including FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor and Changan Automobile set up a solid-state battery industry innovation consortium in Shenzhen, highlighting the enthusiasm of industry in China and Shenzhen for solid-state batteries.
As an energy expert, Diao Xu explained the types and basic performance of solid-state batteries and pointed out the "pain points" in their development. He noted that Japan is not falling behind either: Toyota plans to launch electric vehicles equipped with solid-state batteries around 2025, and Honda will put all-solid-state batteries into use around 2030. In his view, "new quality productive forces" are productive forces defined by high-tech competition.
Xu Rong, President of the Association of Overseas Chinese PhDs in Japan, spoke on "Linking Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Overseas Chinese in Japan with Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Shenzhen." On the one hand, he described the efforts of young people and universities in Japan in innovation and entrepreneurship, telling participants that Japanese youth have by no means simply "lain flat" or become a "Reiwa good-for-nothing" generation, and that Japan should be understood correctly. On the other hand, he introduced his association's deep cooperation with Shenzhen in projects and talent, and proposed jointly exploring an offshore incubator (in Tokyo). He stressed that the development of "new quality productive forces" should be seen not only in terms of competition but also in terms of room for future cooperation.
Dong Mianxiong, Vice President of Muroran Institute of Technology, one of Japan's five major national institutes of technology, and a Foreign Member of the Engineering Academy of Japan, spoke on "Smart Healthcare: A Medical Revolution in the Making." He noted that some hospitals in China and abroad have already begun moving in this direction, and that against the backdrop of the new healthcare reform they are working to solve problems such as poor flow of medical information, polarization of medical resources and inadequate oversight mechanisms by promoting visualization, data-driven approaches and intelligent systems. He argued that "smart healthcare" should not be understood simply as "pay by face" or "treatment by face scan," but as real-time positioning through precision technology and health intelligence, which will bring a comprehensive intelligent transformation to medical institutions.
In light of the "Several Measures of Shenzhen Municipality for Promoting the High-Quality Development of High-End Equipment Industry Clusters," jointly issued in March this year by the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, the Shenzhen Municipal Science and Technology Innovation Bureau and the Shenzhen Municipal Finance Bureau, Lu Yun, Professor and doctoral supervisor at the Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, gave a talk titled "Trends in New Materials R&D in Japan and Prospects for China-Japan Cooperation," introducing "fine ceramics for semiconductor packaging." He pointed out that "new quality productive forces" are not a "concept stock," but something that will ultimately take root in people's everyday lives.
Jiang Feng, Founding President of the Association and Editor-in-Chief of the Japan monthly edition of the People's Daily Overseas Edition, moderated the forum. In his closing remarks, he said the forum had stayed closely focused on "new quality productive forces," a key theme of China's social development, and had shown through concrete examples that these are productive forces of technological competition as well as of cooperative development, and productive forces that both create new growth points and industrial chains for the economy and bring tangible benefits to people's lives. The speakers also offered pertinent and practical suggestions on Japan-Shenzhen cooperation and exchanges in new quality productive forces. As the Year of the Dragon begins, "new quality productive forces" will give further impetus to China-Japan economic exchanges and open up new prospects.
The event then moved to its second part. President Weng Daokui and Wang Yuanyao, President and Representative Director of Zhongwang Technology Co., Ltd., delivered New Year greetings in turn, and Zhang Linfeng, Chairman of ACE Networks, led the guests in a celebratory round of clapping. The atmosphere was lively, as nearly 100 guests engaged in in-depth discussions on the topics raised at the forum and expressed their hope to become active "participants" and "builders" in future exchanges between Japan and Shenzhen.
The 2024 Annual Forum and New Year Gala came to a successful close. Turning lively discussion into action and pooling every drop of effort, the Japan Shenzhen Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Association will continue to press steadily ahead on the path of deepening cooperation between Japan and Shenzhen and promoting the development of new quality productive forces.
