The 14th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum kicks off today (1 June)
Jointly organised by the China International Contractors Association and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, the 14th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (IIICF) kicks off today (1 June). Focusing on green and low-carbon, digital intelligence-driven development trends, over 3,000 political, business and academic elites from all over the world in the infrastructure sector are brought together to explore topics such as energy and water infrastructure, international co-operation and green transformation, smart rail transit, new energy and new materials, with a view to jointly promote the high-quality development of international infrastructure co-operation.
Infrastructure co-operation driving new force for global economic recovery
Guests sharing development highlights
During the opening ceremony, a keynote speech was given by Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC Guo Tingting. She noted that the world’s multipolarity and economic globalisation are unstoppable, and the development of digitalisation has injected new momentum into international infrastructure investment and opened up new possibilities for international infrastructure co-operation. She proposed four ideas to boost future international infrastructure co-operation: 1. to insist on openness and inclusion; 2. to drive innovation; 3. to promote green development; 4. to focus on win-win co-operation.
In his video address, Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia Amarsaikhan Sainbuyan said that Mongolia has moved up 18 places for the first time in the United Nations’ biannual E-Government Development Index in 2022. Under the framework of long-term development policy – “Vision 2050” – approved by the State Great Khural (Mongolia’s Parliament), the Mongolian Government has launched a series of measures aimed at promoting socio-economic and human development, including the establishment of new technical and innovative knowledge-based economy departments to enhance the degree of transparency and openness of the work carried out by the country and government. The Ministry of Digital Development and Communications of Mongolia will actively promote the application of technological results in infrastructure investment and construction and is also willing to form partnerships in the field of green and smart finance, thereby stimulating the development of domestic infrastructure and realising mutual beneficial and win-win outcomes.
Chairman of the Power Construction Corporation of China Ltd. (PowerChina) Ding Yanzhang remarked that PowerChina is committed to constructing an industrial ecosystem of “shared benefits and shared risks”. It has been working with many outstanding multinational enterprises in developing collaborative business-to-market co-operation, promoting 110 projects in 28 countries and leading the way to the establishment of an “International New Energy Solutions Platform”. PowerChina is looking forward to joining hands with all parties to seek improvements from complementary advantages, implement the “dual carbon” strategy and promote the green and low-carbon transformation of the industry. Digital transformation is one of its core developmental strategies. Through digital empowerment, digital management, industry digitalisation and digital industrialisation are promoted to realise the integration of digital industries. Moreover, its achievements in digitalisation, such as smart water system, smart energy, smart mine, smart city and digital pumped-storage hydroelectricity have been put into practice in hundreds of construction projects.
Minister of the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation of the Republic of Zambia Mike Elton Mposha said in his speech that Zambia’s economy greatly relies on agriculture and hydropower and that water infrastructure must be vigorously promoted to support development in other areas. The Zambia Water Investment Programme (ZIP) was launched during the Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union, planning to allocate US$5.97 billion by 2030 to address the gap in water infrastructure construction and provide opportunities for countries to participate in water infrastructure development.
Chairman of the China National Chemical Engineering Corporation Ltd. (CNCEC) Dai Hegen pointed out that new technological revolutions and industrial changes are happening every day, and the infrastructure sector is facing new development opportunities which will become a new driving force for global economic recovery. The key is to uphold the idea of green and low-carbon development, continuously driving digitalisation and intelligent development, as well as accelerating the distribution of new energy and new materials. The CNCEC has long been involved in the development of international infrastructure construction. By utilising advantages such as energy resource integration, technology innovation, engineering transformation, investment and financing, the CNCEC is looking forward to collaborating with all parties to develop green infrastructures that integrate the entire industrial supply chain. Moreover, it is exploring the possibilities of acquiring resources in nations with stable political systems and a wealth of oil, gas, and coal resources in order to develop integrated projects that range from the production of raw materials to high-end chemicals.
Executive Director of the CRRC Corporation Ltd. (CRRC) Lou Qiliang stated that the CRRC is a practitioner and promoter of global rail transportation, dedicated to high-end, intelligent and green development. In recent years, through digital transformation and innovative business models, the CRRC has contributed to promoting the high-quality development of global rail transportation and they have also discerned the importance and urgency of constructing high-quality development of rail transportation with green intelligence. In the future, the CRRC will focus on the R&D of fundamental original technologies, system solutions and major products, leveraging its strengths in equipment manufacturing and operation management, and driving the development of “engineering turnkey” with “digital turnkey” to promote the integrated development of the industry chain, value chain and innovation chain. In addition, the CRRC is looking forward to establishing a comprehensive and pragmatic co-operation mechanism with more partners worldwide in the areas of finance, law, engineering, operation and maintenance, and insurance, to jointly create a new and open paradigm for the high-quality development of rail transportation.
Doubling the scale of exhibition, 90% of customised booths bring business opportunities to the industry
The Forum is held fully offline and is attended by more than 3,000 global industry professionals, including more than 40 ministers and officials of higher levels, senior executives from close to 20 financial institutions, over 70 enterprises included in the Engineering News Record’s (ENR) Top 250 International Contractors and more than 10 international organisations, in addition to over 10 international business associations and upwards of 700 enterprises and organisations. The number of on-site guests attending the Forum has more than doubled compared to last year.
The exhibition of the Forum has been relocated to the Exhibition Hall for the first time. The exhibition area is 1.5 times larger than that of the previous edition, in which over 90% are occupied by specially customised booths. Among them, more than 20 large-scale enterprises from Mainland China set up customised booths, all of which were built by local service providers in Macao, offering business opportunities to the local industry and opening job vacancies for local MICE construction workers. Apart from the continued participation of units from the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Co-operation Zone in Hengqin, ten local governmental units and enterprises are also exhibiting for the first time, which will further help Macao enterprises to keep abreast of the new international trends and seize new opportunities in infrastructure construction.
The “Macao and Hengqin Enterprises Business Matching Session” was organised on the first day of the Forum to provide a platform for business exchange between exhibitors and enterprises from Macao and the Co-operation Zone. In addition, the Organiser also arranged for Macao enterprises to visit the machinery and equipment booths, where some of the local enterprises have already placed orders.
[Expanding New Opportunities] The 14th IIICF Officially Unveils Bringing together elites to jointly build a new future in infrastructure construction
