On December 20, 2022, the 2022 Sino-European Entrepreneurs Summit Qingdao Forum was globally broadcast via video link. The three co-chairmen of the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation, namely Long Yongtu, vice Chinese minister of commerce and Chief negotiator for China’s resumption of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) contracting party status and its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Gordon Brown, former UK prime minister, UN special envoy for global education and WHO ambassador for global health financing and Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former French premier, delivered speeches.

The forum aimed to reach more consensus, make stronger voices, and promote dialogue and cooperation. The guests present thought that the Sino-European Entrepreneurs Summit Qingdao Forum was held at the right time when the Sino-European relations showed positive signs of improvement. The two sides are ramping up efforts to jointly tap into new fields. For example, China and Germany are pursuing cooperation in new energy, artificial intelligence and digitalization, China and France in green energy and scientific innovation, and China and Italy in high-end manufacturing, clean energy, aeronautics and astronautics and the third-party markets. Qingdao, which is innately open-minded, will surely score more achievements in the new round of opening up.

Since its inception in Qingdao in 2019, the Sino-European Entrepreneurs Summit Qingdao Forum has been successfully held for four consecutive years, and attracted the participation via online and offline channels of over 10,000 former political figures, entrepreneurs or experts and scholars at home and abroad.

(Liu Lanxing)