From November 1 to 3, 2025, the 2025 Conference on Deep Integration of Technological and Industrial Innovation, together with the Central South University (CSU) University-Enterprise Council Meeting, was grandly held in Changsha, Hunan Province. Guided by the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and in-depth implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discussions on developing new-type productive forces and his remarks at the Private Enterprise Symposium, the conference was hosted by Central South University, bringing together renowned experts, industry leaders, and outstanding alumni from across China to explore pathways for the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation.
The conference was guided by Hunan Province’s strategies of “Alumni Returning to Hunan,” “Hunan Entrepreneurs Returning,” and “Smart Hunan Development”, focusing on key areas such as new energy, advanced materials, intelligent manufacturing, biomedicine, advanced transportation, resources and environment, low-altitude economy, and artificial intelligence. It aimed to build a new ecosystem of “integration of discipline chain, talent chain, industry chain, and innovation chain”, supporting Changsha in becoming a global R&D hub while driving both new-type productive forces development and high-quality socio-economic growth.
University-Enterprise Exchange: Discussing Industrial Innovation and International Cooperation
On the evening of November 2, the “Knowledge and Action in Hunan · Linking the Future” university-enterprise exchange and matchmaking event was held, with a lively atmosphere and numerous distinguished guests. CSU President and Party Committee Deputy Secretary Mr. Li Jiancheng, in his welcome address, extended special greetings to former U.S. Consul General in Houston Mr. Li Qiangmin, and Skytower Group CEO and member of the George H. W. Bush U.S.-China Relations Foundation Advisory Committee Mr. Eric Fang, expressing sincere gratitude for their long-term contributions to promoting Sino-U.S. and Middle Eastern industrial cooperation, advancing international exchanges, and supporting enterprises in “going global.”
President Li highlighted that CSU alumni are demonstrating the spirit of “unity of knowledge and action” on the global economic stage with openness and innovation. The University will continue to build multi-level university-enterprise collaboration platforms, leveraging deep cooperation with international enterprises such as Skytower to inject new momentum into industrial upgrading and technological innovation in Hunan and across China.
Parallel Session Opening: Gathering Global Wisdom, Exploring Global Opportunities
On November 3, at the opening of the parallel session “Global Vision · Riding the Waves Abroad — Empowering Enterprises through International Strategy and Exploring Overseas Opportunities”, CSU Party Committee Member and Vice President Mr. Guo Xueyi stated that Chinese enterprises are entering a new stage of globalization. CSU will fully utilize its integrated strengths in education, technology, and talent to build international cooperation platforms, promote the global transfer of innovation results, and provide intellectual support for high-quality international expansion.
CSU Alumni Association Vice President and Executive Director & Secretary-General of the University-Enterprise Council Mr. Wei Huacheng noted that CSU alumni enterprises have formed innovation clusters and industrial alliances in multiple countries and regions. In the future, they will further strengthen resource integration, capital matching, and international coordination to help Chinese enterprises compete at a higher level in the global industrial landscape.
During the conference, former Consul General to Houston Li Qiangmin delivered a keynote speech, in which he highly praised the international vision and innovative spirit of Central South University alumni enterprises. He noted that these alumni-led companies actively participate in the reshaping of global industrial chains with an open, pragmatic, and innovative approach, playing a significant role in promoting the “going global” of China’s new-type productive forces. He emphasized that Chinese enterprises’ international expansion is an inevitable trend of globalization, but in the process, they must be fully prepared in areas such as geopolitics, regulatory compliance, cultural integration, ESG governance, talent reserves, and localized operations to ensure sustainable development.
Ambassador Li also highlighted that the State Council Executive Meeting on September 12 emphasized the need to provide strong support for Chinese enterprises participating in international cooperation and competition, while further improving the overseas integrated service system. Subsequently, on October 14, the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council jointly issued the “Comprehensive Plan for Promoting the Overseas Investment and Localization Development of Chinese Enterprises”, providing systematic policy and service support for enterprise internationalization and offering practical guidance and policy backing for implementing the “going global” strategy.
Resonating Voices, Going Global Declaration — Exploring New Global Blue Oceans and Winning Together!
The conference also held the “Resonating Voices, Going Global Declaration — Exploring New Global Blue Oceans and Winning Together!” ceremony. Attendees jointly declared that alumni enterprises would integrate resources, collaborate, and innovate to go global collectively, opening up new international markets and creating a new high ground for the internationalization of Chinese enterprises.
Keynote Speech by Mr. Eric Fang: “Going Global to Saudi Arabia” and the Demonstrative Effect of Strategic Cooperation
During the keynote session, Skytower Group CEO and Advisory Committee Member of the George H. W. Bush U.S.-China Relations Foundation Mr. Eric Fang delivered a speech titled “Going Global: Saudi Arabia.”
Mr. Fang pointed out that the global economic landscape is undergoing profound restructuring, with geopolitics, energy transition, and industrial chain reorganization driving a new round of international industrial cooperation. Saudi Arabia, as the largest economy in the Arab world, is accelerating its transformation from a resource-dependent economy to a high-tech and diversified economy under the blueprint of “Vision 2030.”
Mr. Fang systematically explained the opportunities and pathways for Chinese enterprises “Going Global to Saudi Arabia” from three dimensions: macro strategy, industry trends, and practical case studies.
- Rapid growth of the non-oil economy: Emerging industries such as manufacturing, high technology, green energy, and tourism are booming under the “Vision 2030” plan;
- Young population with huge consumption potential: Over 60% of the population is under 35, with strong digitalization and high-end consumption demand;
- Favorable policy and capital environment: Saudi Arabia actively attracts foreign investment, builds industrial parks and free zones, providing excellent conditions for industrial deployment.
Mr. Fang emphasized that Chinese enterprises hold global leading advantages in new energy, intelligent manufacturing, and advanced materials, while Saudi Arabia serves as a key hub for the transfer of Chinese industrial capabilities and technological cooperation. Building on Ambassador Li Qiangmin’s remarks at the conference, Mr. Fang’s speech fully demonstrated the forward-looking and pragmatic actions of enterprises in their global expansion, setting a benchmark for Central South University alumni enterprises to actively participate on the international stage.
He pointed out that Skytower will adopt a “International Investment + Industrial Collaboration” dual-driven model, integrating policies, capital, and industrial resources across China, the U.S., and Saudi Arabia, to empower Central South University and its affiliated enterprises in two dimensions: first, through strategic consulting services, providing top-level international planning and pathway design for enterprises; second, through investment and financing services, supporting enterprise implementation and expansion. This approach not only injects momentum into university-enterprise collaborative innovation and global industrial competition but also helps Chinese enterprises achieve sustainable development and high-quality growth in international markets.
Signing Strategic Cooperation Agreement: Building a New University-Enterprise International Platform
During the conference, Skytower and the Changsha New Energy Innovation Research Institute officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Following the collaboration reached in September between Skytower and the Central South University Alumni Enterprise Industry-Academia-Research Development Center of Hunan Province, this marks another significant step, signaling substantive progress in promoting a new China-U.S.-Saudi cooperation platform and an innovative “going global” model.
Both parties stated that they will fully leverage their respective strengths to carry out in-depth cooperation in key industries, including mineral resources, new energy and advanced materials, intelligent manufacturing and digitalization, biomedicine and healthcare, advanced transportation and intelligent construction, and resources and environmental management. The goal is to establish an integrated industry-academia-research-application collaborative innovation system, helping Chinese enterprises achieve high-quality international expansion and creating a new pattern for global development. At the same time, this cooperation will assist Central South University and small- and medium-sized enterprises in becoming exemplary models of practical China-U.S.-Saudi collaboration, setting a benchmark for international industry-academia-research synergy.
This marks a new chapter of international university-industry-research collaboration between Skytower, CSU, and alumni enterprises, providing solid support for accelerating the “going global” of Chinese innovation capabilities and helping Chinese enterprises achieve higher-quality development on the global industrial map.
Mr. Fang’s participation and keynote speech showcased the leadership role of CSU’s outstanding alumni in international strategy, industrial innovation, and global cooperation. Through deep university-enterprise collaboration, the signing of strategic agreements, and the “Going Global Declaration” ceremony, Skytower and CSU jointly built an innovation ecosystem targeting global markets, injecting strong momentum for Chinese enterprises to “go global” and promote new-type productive forces. The conference not only deepened university-enterprise cooperation but also laid a solid foundation for Chinese enterprises to explore new global blue oceans and achieve collective success abroad.
