February 28th and 29th,2024, the Futian District delegation embarked on a rapid tour to London, UK, conducting “2024 Shenzhen·Futian (London) Investment Environment Promotion Conference” and visiting institutions such as the Office of the City of London Corporation and the China-Britain Business Council. With this, Futian District concluded its New Year’s economic and trade exchanges in Europe. During these 10 days, the delegation visited Milan, Rome, Paris, and London, and interacted with 23 government agencies, enterprises, and associations. They organized two industry promotion meetings, signed four strategic cooperation agreements, and reached cooperation intentions for 14 projects. Additionally, they staged two fashion shows during Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, promoting six high-end women’s wear brands from Shenzhen on the official schedules of the two major international fashion weeks, and introduced Shenzhen Futian to 389 enterprises and brand institutions.
The “2024 Shenzhen·Futian (London) Investment Environment Promotion Conference” held on February 29th was the highlight of the double recruitment and double attraction activities in London.
Graham Russell, a Fellow of both the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Medical Sciences and known as the “Father of Bisphosphonates”, attended and delivered a speech. The OIBEC Oxford International Biomedical Empowerment Center project was signed on-site, planning to land more than 5 biomedical projects in Hetao, with a market scale exceeding 100 billion RMB. Futian District Party Secretary Huang Wei delivered a speech introducing the industrial environment, and Professor Xia Zhidao, Chief Scientist of Swansea University, delivered a keynote speech. The event was chaired by Wang Liping, Deputy District Chief of Futian District.
The promotion conference also attracted experts and scholars from prestigious universities such as the University of Oxford and University College London, as well as heavyweight guests from well-known scientific and technological innovation enterprises, fashion industry leaders, investment companies, law firms, and accounting firms.
Founded in 1660, the Royal Society of London is the world’s oldest continuously operating scientific society, having never interrupted its operations. It has played a pivotal role in advancing human civilization. Within the halls of the Royal Society, portraits of past presidents such as Newton, Huxley, and Rutherford shine brightly, symbolizing their significant contributions.
Shortly after 9 o’clock in the morning, before the start of the promotional event, many guests had already arrived and were waiting here to engage in discussions. As soon as Professor Russell, acclaimed as the “Father of Bisphosphonates,” entered the venue, he received applause and admiration from the entire audience. In his speech, he warmly welcomed the delegation from Futian District and elaborated on the deep academic traditions of the Royal Society. As a world-renowned expert in medicine, he expressed his optimistic outlook for Futian’s advanced pharmaceutical industry, hoping to strengthen cooperation and promote the research and production of bisphosphonate-related formulations, ultimately benefiting the global healthcare industry.
The establishment of the OIBEC Oxford International Biomedical Empowerment Center, led by Russell, Professor Xia Zhidao, and Professor Terifet, marks a milestone in biomedical cooperation between China and the UK. Futian District will jointly establish the “China-International Biomedical Empowerment Center” with research teams from Oxford University and Swansea University, jointly build research resources, talent interaction exchange mechanisms, and technology transformation platforms, and is expected to land more than 5 biomedical projects in the future, with the market scale of the bone regeneration project exceeding 100 billion RMB.
Futian District Party Secretary Huang Wei comprehensively introduced the economic development and business environment of Shenzhen and Futian, attracting full attention with abundant policy content. During the free exchange session, guests raised questions, and the Futian District delegation answered them one by one, sincerely inviting participating companies to further visit and invest in Futian.
During the two days in London, the delegation also visited the Office of the City of London Corporation and the China-Britain Business Council, achieving a series of pragmatic results in finance, science, and technology exchanges.
The City of London is the financial center of the UK and one of the recognized international financial centers. It is located in the core area of the City of London, where the British government and well-known institutions such as the London Stock Exchange, the Bank of England, and Standard Chartered Bank are located, with more than 3,000 financial institutions of various types.
The Futian District delegation visited the 693rd Mayor of the City of London, Vincent Thomas Keaveny, and discussed the establishment of a financial technology innovation cooperation mechanism. The two sides will jointly establish cooperation mechanisms in financial technology, green finance, and sustainable finance, and the City of London has also invited Shenzhen Futian to attend international events such as “London Fintech Week” and “Fintech Global Summit”, promoting exchanges between financial technology enterprises and talents in the two places.
“I warmly welcome you. You are the first Chinese local government delegation to visit the China-Britain Business Council in the past four years!” Lise Bertelsen, Executive Director of the China-Britain Business Council, expressed a warm welcome to the guests from Shenzhen Futian.
The China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) is a non-profit organization supported by the British government and the business community to promote Sino-British economic and trade exchanges. It is the only official partner of the UK Department for International Trade in China. During the visit, the Futian District delegation signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Executive Director of the China-Britain Business Council, Lise Bertelsen, to strengthen two-way enterprise investment exchanges, promote the establishment of an innovation center in Shenzhen by the China-Britain Business Council, and jointly promote financial fund cooperation to build a cooperation and exchange platform for enterprises in both countries. The China-Britain Business Council stated that it will organize another delegation to visit Shenzhen this year to promote British companies’ investment in Shenzhen and help Shenzhen enterprises explore international markets.
With the holding of the 2024 Shenzhen·Futian (London) Investment Environment Promotion Conference, Futian’s opening-year economic and trade exchanges in Europe have come to a successful conclusion.
Over the course of 10 days, the delegation adhered to the principle of “sincerity + itinerary,” visiting Milan and Rome in Italy, Paris in France, and London in the United Kingdom, totaling 3 countries and 4 cities. The local travel distance exceeded 1000 kilometers. They conducted intensive visits and connections with 23 government agencies, enterprises, and associations, held 2 industry environment promotion conferences in London and Rome, and signed 4 cooperation agreements with organizations such as the China-Britain Business Council and the Sino-Italian Fashion Creative Committee. Led by the government and executed by the Fashion Strategic Committee, they promoted six high-end brands from Shenzhen at Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week in a group-oriented manner, delving deep into local industrial resources. In total, they introduced Shenzhen Futian to 389 companies and brand institutions.
Officials from Futian District expressed that the district has persistently conducted economic and trade exchanges in Europe during the Chinese New Year for two consecutive years, consolidating existing achievements and exploring new opportunities. This has led to an increasing number of overseas enterprises and institutions choosing Futian and embracing prosperity. In response to the cooperation agreements formed during this visit, Futian District has established dedicated teams with assigned responsibilities. They have developed task lists, action plans, responsibility matrices, and progress trackers to systematically facilitate the implementation of the attracted projects. This comprehensive approach aims to contribute significantly to the high-quality development of both the entire city and Futian District in the current year.
