The 2018 Zhongguancun New Economic Development Forum was held at the Zhongguancun Demonstration Zone Exhibition Center on the afternoon of October 20. Its theme was "New Era, New Technology, New Economy”

Entrepreneurs, experts, scholars and government officials focused on development rules and characteristics of the new economy in discussions of effective ways to develop new economy, cultivate new growth drivers and accelerate high-quality development.

Government officials, experts, scholars and entrepreneurs from different fields attend the forum [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The forum was aimed at the collective innovation resources of all parties and gave full play to Zhongguancun's demonstrated driving effect in new technologies, new industries, new models and new formats such as big data, Internet, artificial intelligence and platform and sharing economies.

Cao Liqun, deputy director of the Zhongguancun Management Committee, attended the forum and gave a keynote speech on the theme of “New Economy, New Growth Drivers”.

At the forum, Cao remarked that, as the first high-tech zone in China and a cradle of scientific and technological reform, Zhongguancun, through its thirty years of unremitting effort, has blazed a new trail combining science and technology with Chinese characteristics.

As a concentration of science and education innovation resources in China, Zhongguancun stimulates innovation and vitality through institutional reforms, strengthens technological innovation by industry-university-research cooperation and accelerates major innovation achievements.

Cao Liqun, deputy director of Zhongguancun Management Committee, delivers a speech at the forum [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In the past five years, Zhongguancun has produced a number of core and revolutionary technologies such as a GigaDevice Flash Memorizer, the QuantaEye Quantum Dot Chip, the Cambricon Commercial Deep Learning Processor, the Baidu Unmanned Driving Platform, and the AECC BIAM Graphene Materials Preparation program.

New industries in Zhongguancun have developed rapidly. Jingdong, Xiaomi, Qihoo 360, Toutiao, Meituan, Horizon, Megvii, UISEE, Sense Time and other new generation technology companies have sprung up, forming six emerging industry clusters: information technology, biotechnology, smart manufacturing and new materials, energy saving and environmental protection, modern transportation and new service industries.