Academics, industry executives and international partners gathered in Shanghai on Saturday to discuss clean energy transformation and corporate globalization.
The inaugural 21st century global enterprise forum, held at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, focused on strategic approaches for Chinese companies seeking to navigate the complex opportunities and challenges of expanding internationally amid an accelerated global transition toward green energy.
Zeng Yuqun, founder and CEO of CATL and honorary dean of the 21st Century Institute for Global Enterprise, delivered video remarks emphasizing the need for Chinese enterprises to share their technological innovations and industrial capabilities with the world.
"We need to bridge real-world challenges in global expansion with academic research capabilities," Zeng said. "By exploring through practice and synthesizing through research, we can provide valuable insights to guide more Chinese companies going global."
"Enterprises need to balance globalization with localization, rethinking supply chain layout and efficiency," said Ni Jun, deputy director of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University council and CATL's chief manufacturing officer. "Academia should work closely with enterprises to understand industrial practice and explore future-oriented management theories and talent cultivation models."
Chen Fangruo, dean of Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Antai College of Economics and Management and dean of the 21st Century Institute for Global Enterprise, noted that Chinese companies face new challenges overseas.
"Conventional transnational models may no longer fully apply," Chen observed. "Transitioning from exporting products to exporting systemic capabilities requires joint exploration between academia and industry."
In a keynote address on new energy developments, Huang Zhen, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, pointed out that the sector is shifting from sheer capacity growth to deep system integration and value creation.
He advocated for a deeper convergence of renewable energy with industrial manufacturing, transportation, and computing infrastructure to unlock new avenues for green transformation.
A panel discussion further examined the transition from traditional market expansion to sustainable international partnerships, analyzing changing global expectations for clean energy providers.
Prior to the public forum, the institute hosted a closed-door session on building clean energy systems, covering renewable grid integration, green finance, power-computing synergy and cross-border cooperation.
