LIU Yandong Addresses WRC 2017 Opening Ceremony

“Deepen international cooperation on robotic innovation and share its benefits with more people.”

　　- LIU Yandong at the opening ceremony

　　Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, Aug. 23rd - The opening ceremony of World Robot Conference (WRC) 2017 was held in Beijing on Aug. 23rd. Vice Premier LIU Yandong addressed the ceremony.

LIU Yandong addresses WRC 2017 opening ceremony (photo by ZHANG Ling)

　　Ms. LIU hailed robotics as the “crown jewel” of manufacturing. Both a disrupter and a trendsetter, robotics is creating a new ecosystem in which social productivity and consumption becomes smarter and everything changes profoundly. In this context, the Chinese government has been implementing the strategy of innovation-driven development, setting much store by developing new robotics, new products, new formats and new modes, by making market regulation more inclusive, innovative and prudent, and by integrating China into the global innovation network and robotics into work and life.

　　Ms. LIU proposed that, at this historic moment, all countries should join hands in robotic innovation, research, talent development and sharing. Together we should step up application of key technologies, interiorize AI into various sectors, and push robotics up the value chain so as to meet the diversified needs of all. Together we should stick to the path of economic globalization, harnessing the efficiency, flexibility and comparative advantages of universities, institutes, enterprises and industries. Together we should work on laws, regulations and international rules, establish a mechanism for monitoring, early warning and risk control, and probe into employment substitution and ethical problems induced by robotics, so as to ensure the industrial development is safe, under control, and beneficial to people.

Ms. LIU at a robotic app exhibition after the opening ceremony (photo by ZHANG Ling)

　　WRC 2017 sets its theme as “Win-Win Collaborative Innovation Toward the Building of an Intelligent Society”. Its forums, Expo and contests will feature over 300 domestic and foreign experts, 140-odd world-renowned enterprises and institutes, and contestants in more than 900 teams.