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The 2025 Zhongguancun Forum featured an impressive showcase of embodied AI, with nearly 100 robots from 15 leading companies performing diverse roles, which included greeting and entertaining guests. This "robot rally" demonstrates the surging popularity of embodied intelligence in today's tech landscape.
The 4th Creativity 2030 International Forum provided a platform dedicated to protecting cultural diversity and promoting sustainable development during this year's Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference in Beijing on Saturday.
Shahbaz Khan, director of the UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for East Asia, delivered a video speech at the event, saying that this forum demonstrated the vital role of creativity and innovation in advancing sustainable development and preserving cultural diversity in the digital age.
In 2025, we will focus on expanding international cooperation and promoting youth innovation. We recognize the power of technologies like quantum computers, artificial intelligence and renewable energy. These are not just tools and new technologies, but also catalysts for social progress and environmental sustainability.
Shahbaz Khan, director and representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia
More than 20 visitors from renowned universities and research institutions worldwide gathered in Beijing on Sunday for the 14th Beijing Tour for Overseas Talents, a four-day event aimed at fostering exchanges between international professionals and the city's government agencies, entrepreneurial parks and employers.
Organized by the Beijing Overseas Talents Center since 2010, the tour is part of the capital's broader effort to attract global talent and bolster its status as a high-level innovation hub, the center said.
During the tour, participants will visit key technology sites, including a software park, an environmental protection science and technology demonstration park, and a science city planning exhibition hall in Zhongguancun, Haidian district.
The latest in how science and technology are improving the lives of people living with disabilities was showcased in Beijing's Zhongguancun area on Saturday, at a parallel event of the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference.
Themed Harnessing Technology for a More Inclusive World, the event highlighted how artificial intelligence is helping those with hearing loss communicate, how those with limited mobility can be rehabilitated with exoskeletons, and how brain-machine interfaces are enabling those with quadriplegia to move robotic limbs.
Hong Bo, a professor in the department of biomedical engineering at Tsinghua University, said his research team has helped three quadriplegic patients regain some degree of mobility using brain-machine interface technology.
Chinese scientists and international experts called for greater collaboration among young researchers at the 2025 Beijing International Youth Innovation and Development Forum, emphasizing the crucial role of young people in driving global innovation.
Xiang Tao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said Sunday at the forum that more open platforms for exchange and collaboration are needed to connect young scientists with top-tier global peers.
The capacity for innovation among young professionals in the technology sector is boosting productivity, and Beijing is striving to nurture more such professionals with policy support, according to a report released on Sunday.
The 2025 Global Youth Science and Technology Innovation Report was unveiled at the Beijing International Youth Innovation and Development Forum, a sideline event of the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference.
Led by Zhai Kun, a professor at the School of International Studies at Peking University, the report emphasizes the mutual reinforcement between new quality productive forces and talent.
On March 30, at the 2025 ZGC Forum Annual Conference—Beijing International Youth Innovation and Development Forum, Beijing Overseas Talents Center, in collaboration with Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, Beijing Association for Science and Technology, Exit-Entry Administration Bureau of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, Beijing Foreign Enterprise Human Resources Service Co Ltd and Beijing Haidian District Committee of the Communist Party of China and its People's Government, jointly unveiled the "Service Package for Foreign Experts and Overseas Talents in International Organizations Based in Beijing".
The package introduces 14 innovative measures focusing on four key areas: exit-entry facilitation, international exchanges, talent attraction, and integration services. These initiatives provide comprehensive support for international talents throughout their journey—from initial arrival to long-term settlement in Beijing—embodying the spirit of "Beijing Welcomes You" while facilitating the development of international organizations in the capital.
Under the new "Service Package", foreign experts invited to Beijing by international organizations will benefit from facilitated customs clearance and streamlined exit-entry policies. International science and technology organizations conducting exchange activities in Beijing will receive multi-dimensional support.
To accelerate the construction of the Beijing International Science and Technology Innovation Center and a high-level talent hub, implement the Guidelines on Further Improving Services for Returned Overseas Talents, and support returned overseas talents in innovation and entrepreneurship to contribute to the capital's high-quality development and self-reliance in science and technology, the following measures are formulated.
1.Strengthening Development Platforms for Returnees. Pilot the establishment of "Internship and Training Bases for Overseas Talents," creating platforms for innovation and entrepreneurship matchmaking, providing internship opportunities, and ensuring support in residency permits, work permits, and training subsidies. Support the development of high-quality overseas talent startup incubators with dedicated funding and work permit quotas.
2.Enhancing Training and Support for Returnees. Increase funding support for high-level overseas returnees and startup initiatives, with a focus on emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, healthcare, and integrated circuits. Organize advanced training programs like the "Senior Entrepreneurship Training Program for Returned Overseas Talents" and "Growth Camp for Returned Talents," improving curriculum design, mentorship, and skills training.
On the afternoon of March 30th, at the Beijing International Youth Innovation and Development Forum (YID Forum) of the 2025 ZGC Forum, the 14th "Beijing Tour for Overseas Talents" organized by Beijing Overseas Talents Center officially commenced. The first event was held concurrently. 12 heads of overseas Chinese students' associations from countries such as Germany, France, Canada and Spain, and 12 outstanding overseas talents in related fields, were invited to visit Beijing for exchanges and cooperation.
The "Beijing Tour for Overseas Talents" is an international talent exchange and cooperation brand created by Beijing municipality, which serves as a crucial channel for overseas talents to connect with Beijing and develop in the city. Since its establishment in 2010, the event has been successfully held for 13 consecutive years, providing services to 76,000 overseas talents from countries and regions such as the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Singapore.
The "Beijing Tour for Overseas Talents" this year will transition from traditional centralized events to an online-offline hybrid model, establishing a year-round matchmaking platform for continuous engagement. The online services are provided through the "Contact Beijing ?Global Network for Innovation Services (GNIS)" website (www.gnis.org.cn), which has already listed more than 6,000 international job positions from a wide range of enterprises and institutions, including JD.com, Meituan, Xiaomi, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Bank of Beijing. Based on their professional interests, overseas talents have access to communicating with potential employers at any time. The offline activities will focus on key areas such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and intelligent manufacturing. Four exchange and matching activities will be jointly held by relevant organizations with regional cooperation. Overseas talents can participate in the offline activities through the process of "self-registration—recommendation by related organizations—selection—targeted invitation—matching on site".
As a key driver for the development of new quality productive forces, new quality talent will contribute vigorous strength to advancing Chinese modernization, according to the 2025 Global Youth Science and Technology Innovation Development Report, unveiled at the Beijing International Youth Innovation and Development Forum, held in parallel with the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum.
The long-term plan and strong support to innovation shows how strong the future of China will be, said Suliman Al-Mazroua, CEO of Saudi Arabia's National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP), to China Daily Website during an interview at the 2025 ZGC Forum.
The application of artificial intelligence technology will significantly improve energy utilization efficiency and accelerate the transition of traditional high-carbon industries towards green, low-carbon development, experts said during a forum focusing on carbon peak and carbon neutrality science and technology at the Zhongguancun Forum.
"AI technology is one of the key points in the innovation chain for the future energy structure. It plays a crucial role in promoting green energy transition and achieving carbon neutrality," said Ding Chibiao, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, during the forum held in Beijing on Friday.
He added that this trend has boosted the efficiency of the chemical industry and promoted energy conservation and emission reduction, thereby contributing to China's dual carbon goals of peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060.
At a parallel forum of the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum, which is also part of UNESCO's "International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024-2033)," hundreds of experts from home and abroad discussed how digital technology can empower the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Guo Huadong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Science and director of the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, unveiled the Beijing Initiative on Digital Science and Technology for Sustainable Development at the International Forum on Sciences for Sustainable Development held on Thursday.
The initiative outlines key objectives, including promoting innovative applications of digital sci-tech in sustainable development and expanding the use of big data, artificial intelligence, space technology, and the Internet of Things to address challenges — such as biodiversity conservation, climate change, disaster risk reduction, and poverty alleviation.
The Forum on Standardization and Science and Technology Innovation Development — an event of the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference — kicked off on Saturday in the Zhongguancun International Innovation Center in Beijing.
Focusing on emerging technologies, technology innovation, and standardization practices, two breakthrough achievements and the fourth Beijing Municipal Government Quality Management Award were released during the event, providing a Chinese practical sample for the new quality productive forces development globally.
"Technology and innovation will drive this economy to continue growing," said Yuval Ben Sadeh, chairman of the Israel Chamber of Commerce in China, to China Daily Website at the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference on Thursday.
He also said that China is still a good place and that he is seeing new companies coming into China to look for cooperation.
China has made very strong progress in science and technology, according to Paolo Dario, the scientific director of Advanced Robotics and enabling digital Technologies & Systems 4.0, in an interview with China Daily Website at the 2025 ZGC Forum.
Nearly 100 robots are actively participating in various scenarios at the ongoing 2025 ZGC Forum, engaging in activities such as greeting, communication, hosting, performing and serving, showcasing the latest advancements in robotics technology and products.
The 2025 ZGC Forum Annual Conference kicked off in Beijing on March 27 and will run through March 31. Click on this video to learn more!
Advanced technology and top scientific achievements are in the spotlight at the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference, which opened on Thursday in Beijing, attracting over 1,000 guests from more than 100 countries and regions.
The five-day event, also known as the ZGC Forum, features 128 activities in five major areas: forums, technology trade, achievements, innovation competitions and supporting events. This year's theme is "New Quality Productive Forces and Global Science and Technology Cooperation".
The 2025 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) is scheduled to be held in Beijing from March 27 to 31.
Themed "New Quality Productive Forces and Global Technology Cooperation," this year's annual conference of the forum comprises five major sections, including meetings and technology trading.
