Sino-UK cooperation on innovation leads to a bright future

A Sino-UK convention held in London on Thursday aimed to enhance innovation cooperation and showed promise for future opportunities between two countries.

Themed Hunan-UK Future Innovation Summit, the conference provides potential business opportunities for Chinese companies which come from Hunan, a southern China province famed for the hometown of Mao Zedong and its various range of industrial production.

The signing ceremony between China and the UK was held at the summit. The Department of Commerce of Hunan Provence, Zhuzhou Municipal People's Government and AstraZeneca, the second-largest pharmaceutical company in the UK, signed a memorandum of cooperation, with the plan to collaboratively promote the development of internet of things in health area in Hunan.

Three companies of China Kefu Medical, Zhonghui Brigade and BBK signed a cooperative procurement agreement and memorandum cooperation with Puretone, Holovis and Welsh Whisky respectively.

Along with the government delegation, more than 30 Hunan companies participated the event and joined the panel discussions in terms of intelligent manufacturing, life science and healthcare.

Ambassador of China to the UK Liu Xiaoming said in his keynote speech that there is great potential for the two sides to engage in cooperation on innovation.

"Hunan province and the UK are similar in size and population. Like the British, the people of Hunan are known for their pioneering and innovative spirit," said Liu.

"Hunan and the UK can work together to identify priority areas and key projects for cooperation according to each side's development need and industrial advantages," he said. "Possible areas for further cooperation include green manufacturing, environmental protection, medical information services, high-end equipment manufacturing and higher education."

Governor of Hunan province, Xu Dazhe, suggested to deepen the Sino-UK cooperation in terms of new industrial technology, innovative research and development and application of innovative products, as well as the talent cultivation.

"Both China and Britain have made outstanding contributions to the world civilization. I believe that the cooperation between two countries can certainly create a better future," he said.

Other guest speakers include Stephen Perry, chairman of The 48 Group Club, and representatives from the Department for International Trade in the UK, China-Britain Business Council and The China Chamber of Commerce in the UK.

Hunan and the UK have engaged in extensive and in-depth cooperation in different areas including economy, trade, science and technology. In 2018, trade between the two sides reached $680 million. By the end of 2018, Hunan was home to $220 million paid-in investment and $130 million contracted investment from the UK.