Deepening International Cooperation High-end Platform | UNIDO ITPO Shanghai participated in and delivered speeches at multiple concurrent sessions of the 8th CIIE in 2025
During the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE), the UNIDO ITPO Shanghai was invited to attend and deliver speeches at multiple relevant conferences and forums.
November 6th, Afternoon
Invest in China · 2025 Shanghai City Investment Promotion Conference
Serving as the opening event among the 100 Shanghai-based conferences and activities held during the CIIE, the Invest in China · 2025 Shanghai City Investment Promotion Conference aimed to showcase Shanghai's opening-up policies and development opportunities to the world, and welcome more enterprises to invest in Shanghai and China at large.
Chen Jining, Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, attended and delivered a speech. Gong Zheng, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and Mayor of Shanghai, gave a keynote promotion speech. Ling Ji, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy International Trade Negotiator, attended and delivered an address, while Hua Yuan, a leading official of Shanghai Municipal Government, was also present.
At the conference, responsible officials from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources, and Shanghai State-owned Assets Investment Corporation respectively introduced the city's efforts in attracting foreign strategic investment projects, industrial investment cooperation projects, the renovation and upgrading plans for key areas, as well as industrial funds and investment initiatives. Soren Toft, CEO of Mediterranean Shipping Company, and Yin Sirui, Global Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca, shared their insights and experiences. Zhao Xiaolei, Head of UNIDO ITPO Shanghai, attended the conference.
November 7th, Afternoon
2025 Singapore-China Business Forum
The year 2025 marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China. The 13th Singapore-China Business Forum was successfully held at the Anandi Hotel in Shanghai on November 7. With the theme of "Reflecting on Our Progress Exploring New Global Trends", the forum aimed to promote in-depth exchanges and cooperation between enterprises from the two countries, enabling them to jointly seize development opportunities in the new era. It attracted nearly 300 political and business leaders as well as industry experts from Singapore and China to participate online and offline, facilitating in-depth bilateral exchanges and cooperation.
Senior officials including Kao Chuan Keng, President of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Tan Hai Quan, Singaporean Ambassador to China; Low Yen Ling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore; Sha Hailin, President of the Shanghai Public Relations Association; and Shi Wei, President of Bank of China (Singapore) Limited, attended and delivered opening remarks. Huang Qifan, Executive Vice Chairman of the Academic Committee of the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy and former Mayor of Chongqing Municipal People's Government, gave a keynote speech.
Zhao Xiaolei, Head of UNIDO ITPO Shanghai was invited to the roundtable forum themed "Collaborative Cooperation for Win-win Outcomes". She proposed jointly establishing "institutional innovation parks" and promoting the alignment of policies related to green and sustainable development.
November 7th, Afternoon
The Path toward Sustainable Future : China-Europe Cooperation in Establishing a Green and Innovative Ecosystem Forum
The 2025 marked as the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union. China has recently submitted its new nationally determined contribution, setting an absolute emission reduction target for the first time. Against this backdrop, cooperation between China and the EU in building a green and innovative ecosystem is of vital importance.
To promote exchanges in the industrial chains between China and the EU, The Paper organized the forum themed "The Path toward Sustainable Future : China-Europe Cooperation in Establishing a Green and Innovative Ecosystem Forum" during the CIIE on November 7, 2025. Zhou Hanmin, Member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and President of the Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association, and Liu Yonggang, President and Editor-in-Chief of The Paper, delivered speeches at the forum. Chen Deliang, Academician of Tsinghua University, and Zhu Dajian, Professor of Tongji University, each delivered keynote speeches.
Zhao Xiaolei, Head of UNIDO ITPO Shanghai, was invited to the roundtable forum themed "Promoting Green Technology Alignment and International Cooperation". She suggested that Chinese academic research institutions and policy-making authorities should take the initiative to align with international standard frameworks and formulate effective industrial policies to address enterprises' challenges such as unclear directions in green technology and insufficient motivation for green intellectual property innovation. She emphasized that China and the EU, by joining hands, can jointly pursue a predictable future amid global uncertainties.
November 8th, Morning
AIM Chapter China
Co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the UAE and the AIM Global Foundation, the AIM Chapter China was held in Shanghai from November 7th to 8th . Zhao Xiaolei, Head of UNIDO ITPO Shanghai, was invited to the roundtable forum titled "Women Entrepreneurs - A New Driving Force".
During the discussion, she pointed out that data on women's entrepreneurship remains insufficient. She stressed that "women should be visible", as invisibility means their contributions to GDP cannot be effectively recorded and measured through data. Expanding her perspective to the broader economic landscape, she noted that as the core of the Yangtze River Delta, Shanghai serves as China's largest and most dynamic economic engine. A distinctive feature of its market is that ordinary consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable products. She thus encouraged insightful individuals from home and abroad to engage in this vibrant market in Shanghai.
The New Voyage: China Created Global Opportunities Gateway to oversea Park Investments
As one of the Shanghai-based activities of the 2025 CIIE, the The New Voyage: China Created Global Opportunities Gateway to oversea Park Investments was successfully held in Shanghai on the morning of November 8. Gathering over 150 representatives from government agencies, academic institutions, manufacturing enterprises, overseas industrial parks, and professional service organizations, the conference focused on the development trends of "intelligentization, greenization, and internationalization", and discussed new paths for Chinese manufacturing enterprises to expand overseas amid the restructuring of the global industrial chain.
Wang Hui, the Investment and Technology Promotion Expert of UNIDO ITPO Shanghai, was invited to deliver a presentation on the Sustainable Park Initiative empowering enterprises' green overseas expansion and showcase the 4th Campaign ofCarbon Neutral Technology Solutions. She stated that UNIDO will fully leverage its advantages in global networks, multilateral cooperation platforms, and international standard-setting to provide comprehensive support for Chinese manufacturing enterprises going global, including policy alignment, technology transfer, capacity building, and project financing, helping them better integrate into the global value chain.
November 8th, Afternoon
2025 (6th) Carbon Neutrality and Green Investment Conference & (4th) Zero-Carbon Cities Forum
As a core event of the 8th CIIE, the 2025 (6th) Carbon Neutrality and Green Investment Conference & (4th) Zero-Carbon Cities Forum, themed "New Engine for Energy Transition, Jointly Building a Zero-Carbon New Economy", was successfully held.
Hosted by Li Qiangmin, a former ambassador of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a special expert of the Energy Investment Professional Committee of the China Investment Association, the conference brought together international guests such as Adair Turner, Chairman of the Energy Transitions Commission;Angela Wilkinson, Secretary-General of the World Energy Council; and Carlos Alberto Franco França, Brazilian Ambassador to China. They conducted in-depth exchanges on global governance and energy transition, and reached a consensus that international cooperation is crucial for achieving carbon neutrality goals.
Invited to the roundtable discussion on the rise of the zero-carbon industry and green investment, Ms Zhao Xiaolei stated that investment should focus on "people, efficiency, and application scenarios" to promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
November 9th, Morning
2025 Blue Carbon Economy Development Forum
The 2025 Blue Carbon Economic Development Forum, with the theme of "Innovation in Blue Carbon Economy and Shanghai International Shipping Center Construction Empowering Low-Carbon Economic Development", was the only forum focusing on blue carbon at the 8th CIIE. It gathered over 300 authoritative experts from government agencies, international organizations, research institutes, and industrial enterprises to explore new paths for the development of the blue carbon economy. Zhou Hanmin, Member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, former Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association, former Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and President of the Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association, delivered a keynote speech.
Zhao Xiaolei, Head of UNIDO ITPO Shanghai, was invited to give a keynote speech. By sharing UNIDO's frameworks and cases related to the blue carbon industry and economy, she summarized the current challenges and opportunities in the industrialization of the blue carbon economy. She called on all sectors of society to actively participate in UN initiatives: lay the foundation for quantifying the value of blue carbon by supporting the coordination between international standards and regional policies; enhance ecosystem restoration and monitoring capabilities through promoting blue technology transfer and capacity building to ensure that communities and vulnerable groups truly benefit from blue carbon development; and promote innovative blue financial tools to better support the development of the blue carbon industry.
About the 2025 CIIE Shanghai Conferences and Activities:
Held at the Argyle International Hotel Hongqiao from November 6 to 9, the 2025 CIIE Shanghai Event and Conferences aimed to build a high-level interactive platform for global exhibitors, investors, experts, and scholars, advancing a higher level of opening-up and cooperation.
Themed on the core theme of "Breaking Through and Coexisting，Resilient Growth", the event adopted a "1+2+X" conference structure. This structure consists of 1 opening event - the Invest in China · Shanghai City Investment Promotion Conference, 2 parallel forums of the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, and more than 100 side events. The conferences covered six key thematic sections, namely "Open China and Shanghai's Practices", "Enterprise Going Global and Multinational Operations", "Seeking Trade Drivers", "ESG and Sustainable Development", "Building a Consumption Innovation Ecosystem", and "AI Empowering Industrial Development".
