Many factors affect the future, but two stand out and are important to us all: Climate change, which must be stopped by building a sustainable, decarbonized socioeconomic model at full speed. And the revolution that new technologies such as artificial intelligence and automation are creating, which could threaten up to 40%of jobs.
China will play a key role in all this. It is the country with the highest pollution levels (-28% global emissions) and also the country that invests most in R&D. Special emphasis is placed on the leading sectors like quantum computing or electric mobility. It will be the dynamic and young ecosystem of’startups from the Asian giant that will offer solutions to these problems. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has promoted the Spain-China Council Foundation which brought together six future Chinese leaders at a meeting moderated and moderated by this journalist.
Zhou Wei is the founder and CEO at Xnode accelerator. After a difficult first stage, where it was only possible to copy to learn, China has now made a qualitative leap forward in innovation. It has two major advantages over other countries: a large internal market that will soon become the largest on the planet and a wealth of talent that has been trained abroad but is now returning home to further their professional careers.
Zhou predicts that China will see more Chinese companies follow the path of Alibaba or Huawei and enjoy global success. The entrepreneur says that they seek to increase their market share in the same way as American or European multinationals. He calls for greater collaboration and less confrontation.
One of China’s most controversial peculiarities is not lost on anyone. Nelson Wang, a doctor in electrical engineering and the founder of Czar Power which designs systems that charge electric cars using only fossil fuels, says, “It is a one-party nation.” Although the country is a similar economy to a market economy in its five-year plans, the Government determines where it will direct its resources. It also indicates the direction that private initiative should be directed. This is best illustrated by electric mobility, which China has a tremendous advantage in.
It makes electric cars more competitive by offering tax breaks and subsidies, as well as exemptions from registration tax. It also discourages the production of traditional cars,” Wang explains. He also notes a distinction that distinguishes China from other countries such as Spain. “Electricity costs less than gasoline.”
Wang believes that Chinese electric vehicles will be accepted worldwide, just as smartphones were. “We have companies as powerful and NIO, like BYD,” Wang said. They are losing money now, just like Tesla was at the beginning, but this sector has the best futures. When asked about the hydrogen alternative technology, Spain’s most important, Wang assured that it was “one of the greatest candidates to replace fossil fuels” as well as stating that it would coexist with batteries. Although hydrogen offers more autonomy and a shorter charging time, it is more costly and more hazardous than batteries. It is also explosive when in contact with oxygen and is therefore more difficult to transport. It is a good choice for transporting goods.
To be able to charge them with clean energy, it is more important than having clean cars. China’s power plants still burn coal for 70% of their energy. The Government has pledged to reach the peak emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, a decade after the European Union. These goals require major changes,” says Cui Borlong, founder and CEO of Syserise, a specialist in energy and environmental protection. It will not be an easy task. For example, this year most provinces have exhausted their emission quotas. He says that’s one reason we have power outages.”
According to Cui, China’s most significant transformation is dependent on four key objectives. These are: “Build a green energy structure where renewable energies dominate, increase energy efficiency of businesses, and innovate in carbon sequestration and awareness.
Sissy Chao is an expert on the former. Forbes named her one of China’s 30 most promising young people. She founded REMake Hub to recycle clothing after seeing how much material was being wasted at her parents’ factory. like Zara or H
He says that garbage is already sorted in big cities and people are more conscious of their environmental footprint. Chao believes that consumers will change the direction of Chinese fast fashion brands. This is one of the polluting sectors. He predicts that they will be following the lead of Western counterparts. Chao recalls that Zara told her in 2013 that they were working on the circular economy. She is also confident that new technologies can help with sustainability. She uses the “blockchain” to let the client know the history of the garments she has worn.
Richard Tong works in the most exciting and frightening sector of artificial intelligence. It is primarily used in education. Tong imagines a future where cars won’t fly but algorithms will simultaneously teach 10,000 students with very different needs. He says that AI will personalize education and make it more interactive. This will help those most in need, just as it will happen in healthcare. While the wealthy can send their children to private lessons in some areas, children from different ages often have to go together in rural areas. He comments that AI can provide the equivalent of an elite education for a very small investment.
Tong is a smart man. He has collaborated with Stanford University to launch a project to train 10,000 Sichuan students using artificial intelligence. The goal is to compare the results to traditional education. She declares that preliminary results have already shown that the project is a salvation for those who lack access to education.
He says, “It’s not about eliminating doctors or teachers, it is about avoiding the most boring jobs so they can concentrate on providing a better services in less time.”
The quality of life in cities can be improved after the largest ever rural migration. Jiang Jun, the founder of Urban China Magazine believes that the cities have been built with an urbanism that is not sustainable. He suggests that the model must be changed to make them more inclusive, sustainable, and friendly to humans, who must always be at the heart of the next revolutions.
Richard Tong
He is the CEO of SquirrelAI and a major advocate for global standardization of learning and artificial intelligence technologies.
Cui Bolong
Syserise Energy founder, he is a consultant in the energy and environment protection sectors. He is a tireless worker to clean up Taihu Lake, his hometown of Wuxi.
Nelson Wang
He is the founder of Czar Power, along with researchers from MIT or the General Motors Institute. He develops technologies that can charge electric cars without fossil fuels.
Sissy Chao
REMake Hub is a Shanghai-based startup that specializes in clothing recycling. It uses state-of the-art technology to reduce its waste.
Zhou Wei
Founder of Xnode – a company that specializes in accelerating startups and renting space to entrepreneurs in collaboration avec Tech-crunch China or Google
Jiang Jun
He is the Director of Research Institute of Society and Strategy. He is also an architect, researcher and curator of exhibitions. He studies the relationship between design, society.