2016-11-28

At 3 pm of November 28^th, 2016, Chairman ZHANG Yi, Deputy Secretary General HU Zhenming, and Ms. Ingrid JIANG, Chair of the Board of EU-China Municipal Development Projects Management Ltd., Co. met with Mr. ZHANG Minghua, Deputy Mayor of Ningbo Municipal Government, Mr. HUANG Zhiming, Deputy Secretary General of Ningbo Municipal Government, Mr. HE Qide, Deputy Director General of Ningbo Education Bureau at Ningbo Municipal Administration Center. Both parties held the in-depth discussion on the issue of holding the high-level meeting concerning sci-tech innovation and education with the purpose of systematically introducing the international high-quality sci-tech innovation and education resources into Ningbo City in order to improve its competitiveness. Both parties reached the consensus of the full cooperation. 

Mr. ZHANG Yi and Mr. ZHANG Minghua

Situated in the eastern part of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo is the second largest city of Zhejiang with its world-famous port. The city is renowned for its long history and colorful culture in China. Ningbo is with the territory area of 9816 square kilometers and the population of 7.825 million in 2015. In 2015, GDP of Ningbo reaches 801.15 billion RMB. Ningbo is the important manufacturing base in China and the place with so many natural gifts and countless brilliant talents. 

Mr. ZHANG Minghua firstly expressed his welcome to the Delegation of ECMDC. He remarked that Ningbo was a charming city with its impressive urban landscape, industrial capacities and humanistic environment; Ningbo was a dynamic city with its bustling economic activities and stunning progress; Ningbo was the city with great potential as well; at present, Ningbo was classified as “Made in China 2025” Pilot Demonstration City, and was mustering its strength to start with sci-tech innovation in order to promote the industrial upgrading and supply-side reform in China. Therefore, Mr. ZHANG Minghua eagerly expected ECMDC to introduce the international high-quality resources into Ningbo, and enabled European partners to love Ningbo and participate in the economic cooperation with Ningbo. 

Mr. ZHANG Yi extended his gratitude to the warm reception from Ningbo Municipal Government. He said, ECMDC treasured the cooperation with Ningbo Municipal Government, and had prepared several high-quality projects that would be introduced into Ningbo in succession. He remarked, in the age of internet, the flow of talents and sci-tech innovation cooperation had broken the previous limits of time and space; the sustainable development of a city was decided by two factors, which were whether this city could attract people to stay because of its cultural charms and whether this city could provide people with the sufficient economic opportunities to prove themselves. Henceforth, while ECMDC was dedicated to Sino-European municipal development cooperation, it put sci-tech innovation and education on the top priority in order to provide the new dynamics to the economic progress of the city through sci-tech innovation, to create new environment for the cultural development of the city through education. On the basis of this understanding, ECMDC had signed the Letter of Agreement with UNESCO recently to jointly set up UNESCO-China Sci-Tech Innovation and Education Center. Mr. ZHANG Yi said, ECMDC was quite willing to set up the branch of the Center in Ningbo, which could become the new channel or new window for the development of sci-tech innovation and education of Ningbo.  

Mr. ZHANG Minghua said, sci-tech innovation and education were two engines that actualized the steady progress of all the cities. So, he was delighted to know the intention of ECMDC to carry out the concerned cooperation with Ningbo Municipal Government. 

Mr. ZHANG Yi made the detailed presentation of the related plan and arrangement. ECMDC intended to work with Ningbo Municipal Government and UNESCO to jointly set up the permanent forum concerning sci-tech innovation and education, which could provide the new perspective for the supply side reform concerning the related fields in Ningbo city, the Yangtze Delta Region and China. The international high-quality resources that had been introduced into Ningbo through the Forum would surely enhance the competitiveness of Ningbo. 

Mr. ZHANG Minghua said, Ningbo Municipal Government would grant the full support to the future forum of sci-tech innovation and education, and designated the persons of Ningbo Municipal Government to set up the team who would undertake the related contacts with ECMDC and UNESCO. Mr. ZHANG Minghua said, the forum should become the high-level forum with the significant social influence on sci-tech innovation and education in Ningbo and China. 

Mr. ZHANG Yi and Mr. HUANG Zhiming

Afterwards, Mr. ZHANG Yi presented the framework of the planned forum and its main focuses to Mr. HUANG Zhiming, Deputy Secretary General of Ningbo Municipal Government. Mr. ZHANG Yi said, ECMDC intended to explore the innovative road that integrated the high-level meeting and the actual implementation of projects into the virtuous interaction. The forum was designed to become the platform through which the feasible evaluation could be undertaken as for the combination between international high-quality sci-tech innovation and education resources, and the actual demands of Ningbo and China. The forum would become the channel through which the professionals from the circles of education, finance, and industries implemented the cross-cutting cooperation. In order to ensure the sustainable development of the forum, the organizing entity would be established in order to undertake the work of implementing the related projects with a view to turning the forum to be the one with the forward-looking prospect and the down-to-earth action attitudes. Mr. HUANG Zhiming gave a highly positive admiration for the presentation of Mr. ZHANG Yi, and eagerly expected the concerned parties to work on the ideal top-level designing of the forum in order to gradually build it to be the forum concerning sci-tech innovation and education with the international influence. 

At the end of the meeting, ECMDC and Ningbo Municipal Government jointly set up the time table, and the preparatory work commenced.