Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology has praised the UAE and China's tight and everlasting relationships, stating the two nations are resolved to enhance economic, technical, and cultural connections.

In his inaugural statement at the Pujiang Innovation Forum in China, where the UAE is the guest of honor, Al Jaber stated that the event is "truly a testimonial to our deep and everlasting links between our two nations." A link that will only grow stronger in the coming years as our economic, technical, and cultural linkages deepen.”

He went on to say that both of our economies see innovation as a fundamental engine of success. Indeed, as the world continues to change at an astonishing scale, but as emerging technologies continue to challenge the way we live and work, creating an environment that fosters innovation is no longer optional; it is required for nations to compete, flourish, and realize their economic potential.

We've learned in the UAE that creativity doesn't occur in a vacuum, but rather emerges when the brightest brains collaborate on a single issue. That's why our leadership has always promoted an inclusive culture that encourages everyone to succeed in The Emirates. And it is for this reason that we encourage cross-border cooperation: collectively, we are smarter, more agile, and more robust. This notion was demonstrated when our governments worked together to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak. Vaccines made in China in record speed were distributed at scale throughout the UAE to attain the world's highest immunization rate. This same collaborative creativity attitude can assist us in addressing other global concerns, such as climate change.”

Dr. Al Jaber emphasized that the UAE and China have collaborated to develop, resulting in the world's biggest single-site solar power facility, Noor Abu Dhabi. Noor Abu Dhabi will generate 1.2 gigatonnes of renewable power with 3.2 million solar panels spread across 8 square kilometers.

He noted that the two nations would soon create a new renewable standard with the Al Dhafra solar park, which will be near twice the size of Noor and will establish a record low tariff of 1.35 cents per kwh.

“In summary, we are demonstrating that when nations combine to innovate, costs fall, economic possibilities increase, and society would benefit. Trying to push the horizons of innovation necessitates bravery, boldness, and, shall I say it, a willingness to fail on the way to success. This is the mentality that transformed a hydrocarbon economy into a centre of expertise for renewable and alternative energy sources. It should be the reason we could be able to improve our fishing and pearling villages into world-class logistical centres that move millions of Chinese commodities to Africa, Europe, and the Americas today. It is the concept that has enabled the UAE to explore space and launch the first mission from our country to Mars. It is also the key driver behind the establishment of the world's first institution dedicated to the study of artificial intelligence, the Mohamed bin Zayed University for AI, which educates students from all over the world.

As we think forwards, we are concentrating our whole industrial strategy on exploiting the power of breakthrough technologies to strengthen our core businesses and grow into new knowledge-intensive areas. Because I see the countless potential to creatively and commercially utilize our cooperation for innovation across conventional and growing industries".

He responded by saying that in the energy industry, we must look into the possibilities of zero-carbon hydrogen, aligning our know-how and infrastructure to China's rising need for more energy with less carbon. Let us build on our expertise with Covid in life sciences to develop innovative medications and cutting-edge therapies which can save lives while also creating profitable biotech businesses. Let us invest in agri-tech to create seeds that can withstand dry circumstances and sustainable farming systems that can feed the world's rising population while conserving water and reducing the environmental effect.

Other essential facilitators of innovation, according to Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, are: channeling investment into R&D; putting aside cash for commercialization; and establishing supporting regulatory and legal structures.

“As a result, the UAE is revamping its R&D and commercialization strategy to concentrating on policies, objectives, and cooperation, ensuring that areas of greatest potential are prioritized first. In a nutshell, we are creating a more productive environment for transforming ground-breaking concepts into viable goods. And we give an open invitation to the rest of the world to join us on this adventure of creating value via innovation.

Fellow Members, let us grab this once-in-a-generation opportunity to harness the potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and instill an entrepreneurial attitude and perspective over the next generation - today's youngsters who are becoming tomorrow's leaders.”