As one of the Countries of Honour, the UK will send the most significant business delegation ever to visit Chongqing to join the 2019 Smart China Expo (SCE). This year’s SCE opens on 26 August in Chongqing. Graham Stuart, Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade (DIT), will lead the UK delegation and speak at the opening ceremony.

the UK will send the most significant business delegation ever to visit Chongqing to join the 2019 Smart China Expo (SCE)

In addition to showcasing the UK’s dynamic, diverse and cutting-edge innovation and exploring business opportunities at the UK pavilion, the UK delegation will also join the first UK-China Future Intelligence Forum, launch the 5th DIT FinTech Awards, announce the highlights of UK-China AI Report, and also announce a series of business contract signings and new products.

Graham Stuart, DIT Minister for Investment, said, “I am thrilled that the UK is the Country of Honour at Smart China Expo. British companies and organizations attending SCE will be showcasing the UK’s leadership and innovation in smart technology, which can bring a competitive advantage to the Chinese economy. SCE is a great platform for some of the UK’s leading businesses and organizations to strike up new partnerships and exchange ideas. I am delighted to be leading our delegations.”

Ms. Bernadette Wightman, President of Banking and Financial Services at British Telecom, will deliver a keynote speech at the Big Data & Smart Technology Summit, following the opening ceremony. British Telecom is the only foreign company who has received the IP-VPN License and ISP License in China.

The UK Delegation

The UK delegation will consist of more than 100 individuals representing over 40 organizations from a wide range of sectors, including technology, Infrastructure, Advanced Manufacturing, Transport, Culture, and Education. The companies range from innovative startups to well-known multinational companies and include DIT’s SCE event partners, Sage and Micro Focus, as well as the official UK pavilion design partner, Chapman Taylor.

Chapman Taylor was invited to do the conceptual planning for Chongqing Liangjiang Collaborative Innovation Zone and launch the International Consultation for Detailed Urban Design in 2018. It will sign a strategic cooperation agreement with Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Co., Ltd during the SCE to strengthen future cooperation, including sharing professional expertise in master planning and architectural design.

Sage is a global leader in the technology market of enterprise planning solutions. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Sage provides the unparalleled business management solution through Sage Business Cloud, comprising Accounting, Sage Intacct, X3, People & Payroll, and Payments & Banking.

Micro Focus, one of the largest software companies in the world, helps organizations run and transform their business through four core areas of digital transformation; Enterprise DevOps, Hybrid IT Management, Predictive Analytics & Security and Risk & Governance. They will be announcing their brand new Robotic Process Automation (RPA) product.

Being one of the five Compound Semiconductor Clusters in Europe and Chongqing’s sister region, Wales has also sent a strong delegation, including IQE, the leading wafer producer, the Compound Semiconductor College of Cardiff University and SPTS, the world-famous chip producer. Wales has established a series of semiconductor infrastructures, including the Compound Semiconductor Technology Research Institute, Compound Semiconductor Centre, Future Compound Semiconductor Production Centre and Compound Semiconductor Application Centre of Excellence. Supporting and collaborating, the research and production centers jointly provide support in fundamental researches and technology standards for clients on the supply chain.

The UK pavilion

One of the highlights at the UK pavilion is a giant robot arm in motion, incorporating the Equator gauging system produced by Renishaw. This is the first public show of this new product in West China. The Equator gauge is unique in its design and method of operation. It has already changed the thinking of thousands of production engineers, becoming their new gauge of choice. Renishaw is one of the world’s leading engineering and scientific technology companies, with expertise in precision measurement and healthcare. The company supplies products and services used in applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbine manufacture, through to dentistry and brain surgery. It is also a world leader in the field of additive manufacturing (metal 3D printing), where it is the only UK business that designs and makes industrial machines which ‘print’ parts from metal powder.

The Imaginary City is a real-time 3D environment VR experience created by the artist in residence at the British Library. Combining conventional materials and cutting-edge digital technology, it re-structures the maps of Chongqing and London from the British Library’s collections and the real-time visitor information, to create the fabulous urban views in the information era.

Students from Chongqing’s Renmin Primary School will showcase robots they have made and programmed using the BBC’s Micro:bit technology. Visitors to the pavilion can enjoy the clever and creative games that the young students have designed and made themselves. These are fantastic examples of UK-China collaboration in technology education, preparing the next generation of tech leaders.

A Series of Announcements of Business Contracts and New Products

The UK’s Department of International Trade (DIT) will announce the highlights of the UK-China AI Report to promote UK-China collaboration in this sector. Being innovative nations, both the UK and China are actively promoting AI development and see it as the new source of economic growth. In this context, DIT and CBBC jointly drafted the UK-China AI Report. This announcement will focus on the current status and the prospect of AI development in both countries, as well as the opportunities and challenges of UK-China collaborations on AI.

In addition, 7 British companies are planning to sign new contracts or announce new products during the Expo, covering cloud service, software, smart finance, blockchain, big data, technology education, urban planning, and architectural design.