China Bureau webinar shines a light on Shandong
China’s booming Shandong province came under the spotlight at the latest Bristol and West of England China Bureau webinar.
Having focused on the Greater Bay Area - which includes Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao - in its previous online session, the bureau’s latest webinar focused further north on the coastal province of Shandong.
Located between Shanghai and Beijing, Shandong boasts China’s third largest economy and has a population of 100 million.
The webinar highlighted the opportunities available to UK businesses in the advanced engineering and pharma tech sectors in Shandong and its capital, Jinan, as well as looking at the start-up support available in the province.
The webinar was hosted by Richard Lowe, director of business initiatives at the China Bureau and director of long-term bureau member Hewlett Rand, and moderated by Liu Fakai, head of the China-UK Spring City Talent Office.
Other speakers included:
Dianne Francombe OBE, CEO of the Bristol & West of England China Bureau
Yang Ding, director and representative for Bath and Wiltshire at the bureau
Martin Veal, member of Jinan Mayor’s International Economic Advisory Committee
Zhao Tingchun, Director of International Cooperation, Jinan City Human Resources and Social Security Bureau
Ji Yuan – Director of Public Service, Jinan City Science and Technology Bureau
Zhang Zuojun – Chief Secretary, Shandong Chinese Academy of Sciences Industrial Technology Collaborative Innovation Centre
Jiang Chenyu – Dean, Shandong Institute of Innovation, Suzhou Institute of Medical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhuang Haiyan – Dean/CTO, Shandong Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine
“Despite being one of the most important Chinese provinces, Shandong is often overlooked here in the West in favour of Beijing and Shanghai,” said Dianne Francombe.
“The thirst for innovation and creativity in Shandong, and China in general, is second to none and we want to develop long and lasting partnerships that will bring benefits to all. Opportunities abound in this fascinating province - these promises will become a reality.”
Richard Lowe said: “This event provided a forum for West of England businesses to engage the Shandong Municipal Government on local policy relating to trade and investment, as well as Jinan’s talent programme.
“This webinar is a catalyst for ongoing co-operation with Shandong province. We will continue to share opportunities for start-up and partnership collaboration with participants that are interested in this exciting region.”
The China Bureau’s next webinar takes place on Thursday, 13th May from 9am-10.30am. It will examine the West of England’s fintech ecosystem, which is one of the UK’s most important as highlighted in the Government’s recent Kalifa Report.
Register here: The West of England FinTech Eco-System - Technology Driven Innovation Tickets, Thu 13 May 2021 at 09:00 | Eventbrite
