To further promote green and sustainable development, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME), the China General Chamber of Commerce-USA Chicago Chapter (CGCC-Chicago), and the Chicago Investment and Promotion Bureau jointly organized the "2023 China-US Green Economy Forum." Liu Chun, Vice President of CCCME, Ni Pin, Chairman of CGCC-Chicago, Ma Li, Deputy Secretary-General of the Heilongjiang Provincial Government, Kristin Richards, Director of the Office of Trade and Investment of the State of Illinois, and Keller Schultz, Executive Vice President of the Economic Development Department of the Chicago Investment and Promotion Bureau, attended the event and delivered speeches. Huang Liming, Deputy Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, made the closing remarks. More than 80 government and business representatives from China's Heilongjiang, Shandong, Jiangsu, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and other regions, as well as representatives from Chicago's business community, participated in the event.
In his speech, Vice President Liu Chun expressed gratitude to CGCC-Chicago for their preparations for the event. He emphasized that Chicago was the third stop of the CCCME delegation's visit to the United States, following Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the journey had been fruitful, demonstrating the importance of face-to-face communication. Green and low-carbon development is a global trend in economic and social development, as well as an important area for strengthening bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States. CCCME established the Green and Low-Carbon International Cooperation Committee in 2021, which has gathered high-quality resources in various industries and has the capacity and willingness to promote cooperation between China and the United States in the field of green and low-carbon development. CGCC-Chicago is an important partner of CCCME in the United States, and CCCME will further strengthen cooperation to create more opportunities for cooperation between the two sides' enterprises.
Ni Pin, Chairman of CGCC-Chicago, stated that the visit of the CCCME delegation effectively promoted friendly exchanges between China and the United States. Chicago is a vibrant city that is constantly innovating and changing, but its commitment to friendly exchanges with China remains steadfast. The friendship between the two sides will deepen as the exchanges continue. CGCC-Chicago will strengthen collaborative cooperation with CCCME and other relevant organizations to promote bilateral economic and trade exchanges and cooperation.
Kristin Richards, Director of the Office of Trade and Investment of the State of Illinois, gave a brief introduction to the basic situation of Illinois. Illinois has a strong manufacturing base, a developed automotive industry, and in recent years has been actively promoting the development of clean energy and green and low-carbon industries. Illinois has strong educational capabilities and abundant talent resources. Illinois has maintained friendly long-term economic and trade relations with China and welcomes Chinese companies to invest and seek cooperation opportunities.
Ma Li, Deputy Secretary-General of the Heilongjiang Provincial Government, as a representative of the delegation, introduced the resource environment, location advantages, and industrial strengths of Heilongjiang. He emphasized the efforts and plans of Heilongjiang in the field of green and low-carbon development, stating that Heilongjiang will adhere to the concept of innovative coordination and green sharing, promote energy conservation and emission reduction in multiple fields, and implement key energy-saving and carbon reduction projects. Deputy Secretary-General Ma Li stated that through this visit, it was discovered that Heilongjiang and Chicago have strong complementarities and broad cooperation prospects in the fields of green development, food procurement, and multinational companies.
Keller Schultz, Executive Vice President of the Economic Development Department at Invest Chicago, expressed a warm welcome to foreign investment in Chicago. Chicago is currently focused on developing five pillar industries: life sciences and healthcare, fintech, film and content creation, transportation and logistics, and food manufacturing. Although green development is not explicitly mentioned, it is considered a core aspect that permeates the entire process of these five industries' development. Chicago has maintained a strong economic and trade relationship with China for a long time. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on establishing the "China-US Chicago Trade and Investment Cooperation Working Group" between the City of Chicago and the Ministry of Commerce of China. Over the past decade, bilateral economic and trade exchanges have been close and friendly. It is hoped that both sides can continue to strengthen cooperation for a mutually beneficial future.
Huang Liming, Deputy Consul General of the Consulate General of China in Chicago, stated in the conclusion that the visit of the China Machinery and Electric Chamber of Commerce delegation to the United States is of great significance in promoting bilateral economic and trade exchanges. Climate change is a global challenge that requires joint efforts. China will firmly promote green and low-carbon transformation. China and the United States should strengthen collaboration to jointly address challenges and create more cooperative opportunities.
During two thematic sub-forums, nearly 80 representatives from China and the United States presented insightful speeches and engaged in interactive discussions. United Energy Corporation, CDL 1000, and Roland Berger discussed the opportunities and challenges of the green economy from the perspectives of artificial intelligence system construction, value chain cooperation, and consumer choices. Economic Development Center of Will County and Barnes & Thornburg law firm discussed topics related to green trade and investment, focusing on the economic and trade investment environment and policies in Chicago, as well as investment review for entering the United States.
During the event, the delegation visited Invest Chicago, Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), and the Climate Action Museum, gaining firsthand knowledge about the economic development, scientific innovation, and green development initiatives in Chicago.