On 26 August 2019, SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov took part in the opening ceremony of the second Smart China Expo international exhibition in Chongqing, China.
The exhibition was opened by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, who read out welcoming remarks from President of China Xi Jinping.
The message focused on the significant progress of the new round of the scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation as well as the quick development of the intellectual industry, which has a strong and extensive influence on the economic development, social progress and global management.
The Chinese leader noted that China was ready to take joint efforts together with the international community in order to step into the intellectual era and enjoy the fruit of the intellectual industry progress together.
In his speech, Deputy Prime Minister Liu He noted that at present artificial intelligence is becoming an important area of technological change, as well as in the development of industry. This process is mostly characterised by the big data widely used in the manufacturing, investment, trade, education, healthcare, culture, transport, construction, accommodation, environment and other spheres thanks to the organic combination of information and bioscience technologies. This has transformed industry and people's lives.
The opening ceremony was attended by over 1,500 Chinese and international guests, including Chongqing CPC Secretary Chen Min'er, Chongqing Mayor Tang Liangzhi, the first vice president of the Portuguese parliament, the deputy speaker of the South Korean parliament, the British under-secretary for international trade, the Singapore minister of manpower, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics Konstantin Novorsyolov, the Tencent chairman, the Baidu founder, a co-chair of the UN High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, as well as Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group Jack Ma and other guests who presented keynote reports and discussed ways for the intellectual era to make its contribution to the economy and people's lives.
During the second Smart China Expo international exhibition, as many as 530 deals were signed worth $115.7 billion, of which 89 were signed during the event and 441 on its sidelines. The projects mainly concern 5G communication technologies, integrated circuits, artificial intelligence and the internet of things.
The contracts were signed by partners from various regions of China and other countries such as the UK, Germany and Singapore.
The four-day event brought together heads of international organisations, academics and representatives of major enterprises from almost 60 countries and regions, including more than 800 Chinese and foreign companies.
The expo, whose general theme was "Smart Technology: Empowering Economy, Enriching Life," comprised a series of conferences, exhibitions, forums and competitions.
The event was organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the China Association for Science and Technology, and the government of Chongqing.