On October 18, the 2024 China-Nordic Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum kicked off in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The forum was chaired by Wang Zhonglin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee and Governor of Hubei Province. Ding Zhongli, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) and Chairman of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, also attended the event. Wang Wentao, Secretary of the Leading Party Members Group and Minister of the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (MOFCOM), delivered a video speech. Wang Menghui, Secretary of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee and Director of the Standing Committee of the Hubei Provincial People's Congress, gave a speech as well. Co-sponsored by MOFCOM and the Hubei Provincial People's Government, the forum is China's first and only national and international economic and trade cooperation event dedicated to the Nordic region. With the theme of "Linking the World, Seeking Quality in Innovation", the forum aims to create a new hub for the openness and cooperation between China and the EU, a new highland for trade and investment, a new window for exchange and mutual learning.  It's designed to provide an efficient investment and trade platform for guests from both China and abroad.

On the opening day, more than 300 guests gathered together to witness this grand economic and trade event, including diplomatic envoys to China from five Nordic countries, executives from Fortune Global 500 companies in Europe, representatives from key European business associations, and renowned Chinese entrepreneurs. The forum concentrated on developing new productive forces tailored to local conditions and highlighted new areas and new sectors such as green and low-carbon development and the digital economy. It featured more than 10 special events, including the China-EU Economic Summit and the China-EU Green Conference, as well as featured sessions like the Nordic Commodity Exhibition and Nordic Food Tasting. These events fully demonstrated the latest achievements and opportunities in China-EU economic and trade cooperation.

ZHUANG Dan, Executive Director and President of Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (YOFC, stock code: 601869.SH, 06869.HK) was invited to attend the opening ceremony and China-EU Economic Summit.

At the summit, ZHUANG Dan shared YOFC's recent advancements in internationalization. According to ZHUANG, since 2014, YOFC has actively pursued an internationalization strategy, expanding its overseas business across countries and regions along the Belt and Road. As a result, YOFC has established and integrated 8 production bases in countries including Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, Poland, Mexico, and Germany. This expansion has enhanced YOFC's local support capacity overseas and contributed to the development of local industries. To date, YOFC has expanded its overseas business to more than 100 countries and regions, with revenue from these overseas operations accounting for more than 30% of its total revenue for three consecutive years.

ZHUANG Dan emphasized, "At YOFC, we have always been committed to connecting every corner of the world with optical fibres. We firmly believe that our journey to harness the power of light is endless. In the future, our commitment to open cooperation remains steadfast. We are dedicated to deepening our exchanges and collaborations with our Nordic and global partners.  Together, we will push the boundaries of innovation and explore new applications,  contributing our wisdom and strength to building a closer economic and trade relationship between China and Europe.

The China-Nordic Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum was established during the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in 2018 and made its debut in Wuhan in 2022. It has become a pivotal platform for dialogue between China and Europe in the areas of industry, trade, and capital. Furthermore, it serves as an important platform for multinational companies to deepen their presence in China and expand into the vast central region market.