On October 17, 2022 Global Innovation Opportunity Forum hosted by Shenzhen Foreign Affairs Office, organized by World Innovative Cities Cooperation Organization (WICCO, in preparation) and Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) was held in Shenzhen. Cao Saixian, Director General of the Shenzhen Foreign Affairs Office, Gu Ting, Vice President of the Shenzhen People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and major representatives of international innovative cities attended the forum.

“Discuss innovative opportunities, seek new cooperation” is the theme of the forum. Well-known business leaders and industry experts at home and abroad joined online and on-site, discussing the latest trends and future investment layout of global innovation industry together. The forum also invited experts in the fields of digital economy, metaverse, industrial interconnectedness and smart manufacturing to analyze the business opportunities and challenges brought by innovation opportunities.

Keynote speech 1: Bahjat El-Darwiche, PwC Strategy &, Middle East Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Leading Partner--NEOM Transforms Desert City into Smart City

Bahjat El-Darwiche, PwC Strategy &, Middle East Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Leading Partner delivered a keynote speech titled NEOM Transforms Desert City into Smart City. NEOM carries the vision of the future of mankind and defines the map of future smart cities from the perspective of advanced thinking. It focuses on urban structure, infrastructure, green, low-carbon and livable environment to transform the desert of Saudi Arabia into a smart city of the future.

Keynote speech 2: Junda Lin, PwC Strategy &, TMT Partner-- The Outlook of the Opportunity Innovation Industry and the Strategic Layout of Key Investments in the Next Five Years

Junda Lin, PwC Strategy &, TMT Partner shared the outlook of innovative industry trends and key investment strategy layout in the next 5 years. From the perspective of industrial innovation, investment trend and ESG, he analyzed the development trends and investment environment of the innovation opportunities of the new generation of information technology, smart manufacturing, software technology and metaverse, which is a combination of soft and hard. He also analyzed how to form a new science and innovation development ecosystem among cities, enterprises and investors to promote industrial upgrading and transformation, and integrated urban development.

Roundtable 1:

With the development of the global digital economy and the metaverse, how to lead the transformation of “new consumption, new culture and new education”

Moderator: Wilson Chow, PwC, Global TMT Leading Partner

Panelists: Foyu Yuan, Baidu Inc, Web3.0 Vice-President; Dr. Xinge Yu, Hong Kong CityU, Associated Professor; Michael Ng, Gusto Collective, COO; Sam Mao, MetaPalace, CEO

Roundtable 2

How to embrace the revolutionary changes brought by industrial interconnectedness and smart manufacturing to industry, and promote industrial chain integration and cross-border cooperation

Moderator: Rebecca Wong, PwC, General Business Advisory Partner

Panelists: Serik Medet, Huawei HQ, Executive Solutions Consultant; Zhao Ting, PwC Strategy &, Manufacturing and Medical Industry Partner