SEIF Forum Unveils the Future of Carbon Neutrality Between China and Europe

Technology visionaries, business leaders, foreign economic advisors, heads of business councils, and government officials gathered in Beijing to discuss the latest progress on carbon neutrality goals.

September 20, 2022

The China-Europe Innovation Technology Forum was held on September 16, 2022, at the Beijing Price Jun Mansion Hotel, bringing together leaders from technology, business, embassies, NGOs, and government for in-depth discussions on how to achieve carbon neutrality goals. The forum was co-hosted by IDA China, the Beijing Madrid Investment Attraction Organization, the China-UK Business Council, the Swiss Business Council, and the Walloon Export and Investment Agency (AWEX), organized by BRICH Technology, a service provider focused on providing connectivity technologies and solutions for Chinese companies going global and foreign companies coming to China.

"For a long time, China and Europe have been close economic and trade partners. In the first eight months of this year, the total trade volume between China and the EU reached 3.75 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.5%; data from Eurostat shows that in the first half of the year, the trade volume of 27 EU countries with China was 413.9 billion euros, a year-on-year increase of 28.3%. Among them, the EU imported 301.7 billion euros from China, an increase of 43.3%." said Meng Xin, president and founder of BRICH Technology. "Although COVID-19 has hindered global climate action to some extent, strategic communication and cooperation between China and Europe in the fields of climate and energy have been continuously strengthened. This forum aims to discover and showcase synergies that enable new energy companies in China and Europe to establish business connections in areas such as innovation, science, technology, and talent."

Speeches at the China-Europe Innovation Technology Forum included:

Han Lijuan, director of the China Productivity Promotion Association and former science and technology counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Belgium, believes that "carbon neutrality and carbon peaking" are important themes of the times, and the international community should recognize this, carry out extensive cooperation, and share the latest scientific discoveries.

Zhuang Jia, deputy director of the China Science and Technology Exchange Center, said that the scientific and technological development of China and Europe has strong complementarity, so the prospects for scientific and technological cooperation between China and Europe are promising.

Alfonso Noriega, first-class economic and commercial counselor at the Spanish Embassy in Beijing, introduced that Spain is the world's thirteenth largest economy and the fourth largest in the EU. It has an extensive network and ecosystem and holds a place in the entire renewable energy industry chain. Chinese companies can not only enter the European market through Spain but also the Latin American market.

Victor Cortizo, vice president of the Beijing Madrid Investment Promotion Bureau, shared that Madrid actively cooperates with China in the "Belt and Road" initiative and has unique ideas on low-carbon development.

Gareth Hargadon, head of the economic section at the Irish Embassy in Beijing, shared Ireland's experiences in climate change and sustainable economy, etc., and he is full of expectations for China-Ireland energy cooperation.

Zhu Daocheng, vice president of JA Solar, once mentioned that although Europe is leading in the application of renewable energy, compared to the proportion of traditional fossil energy, there is still much room for development in renewable energy.

Wang Guofeng, general manager of GCL System Integration Technology Component R&D, mentioned that the offshore photovoltaic products currently developed by GCL have anti-corrosion, wind and wave resistance characteristics and have passed the French carbon footprint certification.

Kieran Patel, senior director of the China-UK Business Council, shared that in the UK, banks are working to reduce energy consumption, car manufacturers are shifting from internal combustion engines to energy vehicles, hotels are reducing plastic use, energy companies are transitioning to carbon neutrality, etc. And there is still room for further cooperation between China and the UK.

Connie Wei, executive director of Swiss Commercial Bank China, once mentioned that in terms of clean energy, Switzerland is one of the countries that have introduced relevant policies and regulations. Forward-looking environmental laws have a profound impact on Switzerland.

Zhuang Yinghong, global marketing director of RECOM Energy, once mentioned that heterojunction is an effective means to achieve carbon neutrality and carbon peaking goals and is also the trend of industrial technology and the inevitable choice for high-efficiency solar cells.

Xu Hailiang, vice president of TüV, analyzed the background of carbon neutrality and carbon peaking, making the development cases of the photovoltaic industry clearer.

Wu Bixuan, senior partner at Haihua Yongtai Law Firm, believes that whether it is carbon tariffs or the European market's circular economy action plan, it will bring pressure on companies for carbon neutrality and carbon peaking, emission reduction, as well as trade measures.

As the event drew to a close, an awards ceremony was held.

Through this forum, BRICH Technology successfully built a communication bridge for Chinese and foreign technological innovation in the post-pandemic era, deepening mutual recognition and understanding of Chinese and foreign cooperation in carbon neutrality and carbon peaking.

BRICH Technology has always adhered to the original intention of "linking global technology projects" and will continue to provide professional services in international cooperation. Under the trend of "de-globalization," we provide "new solutions" for global cooperation services.