China, Europe hold conference on innovation, clean energy

The China-Europe Science and Technology Innovation Day &2023 China-Europe Clean Energy Industry Innovation Cooperation Conference, focusing on the fields of clean energy such as wind, solar, storage, and hydrogen, was held recently in Beijing.

Based on the needs of the industry, and the requirement for innovative cooperation, the conference held three technology roadshows around the themes of technology application, industry cooperation, and manufacturing technology.

In addition, roundtable discussions were held on topics such as the "China-EU Clean Energy Cooperation Blueprint" and "New Demands and Technologies in China-EU Clean Energy".

In November, China put forward the international science and technology cooperation initiative for the first time, advocating and practicing the concept of "openness, fairness, justice, and non-discrimination" in the sector globally and working together to build a global science and technology community.

The conference, jointly held by the China Science and Technology Exchange Center and the China Association of Productivity Promotion Centers on Dec 1, has echoed the initiative.

Yin Hejun, Minister of Science and Technology, pointed out the need for deepening international science and technology cooperation recently. He said the related parties should continuously deepen the cooperation between governments and significantly increase the scale of scientific and technological exchanges. Meanwhile, the governments should accelerate the construction of high-level cooperation platforms and jointly improve global science and technology governance.

Fu Gui, official of the China Science and Technology Exchange Center, said during his speech at the conference that in the past 20 years, China and the European Union, as well as many European countries, have established joint research and innovation funding mechanisms. Universities, research institutions, and companies from both sides have conducted hundreds of practical cooperation research projects in areas such as climate change, clean energy, and green development, achieving tangible results and effectively promoting the development of China-EU science and technology industries.

"This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China's comprehensive strategic partnership with the European Union," he added, saying that the center initiated series of activities aimed at enriching the content of China-EU scientific and technological cooperation.

"The center is willing to continue to build a cooperation and exchange platform for China-EU industry, academia, and research institutions and actively promote China-EU science and technology industrial cooperation," he said.

Han Lijuan, supervisor of the China Association of Productivity Promotion Centers, said they will continue to actively play the role of a bridge between China and the EU in innovative cooperation in the clean energy industry.