CHINA DAILY | GLOBAL EDITION Monday, September 21, 2020 | 7 Creativity encouraged at Beijing summit What they say As UNESCO event returned to capital city last week, innovation focus of discussions By YUAN SHENGGAO national center for politics, cul­ ture, international exchanges and Creativity and innovation chart a sci­tech innovation in 2014, the The theme of this summit — path to sustainable urban develop­ city has been on a fast track to Creativity empowers cities, tech­ ment, experts and officials said at innovation­driven high­quality nology creates the future — is of the third UNESCO Creative Cities development. great interest and fascination. Cre­ Beijing Summit last week. Government data show Beijing ativity is the engine of our history, Focusing on the digital economy, is home to more than 90 universi­ both individual and collective. It is the summit held at Beijing’s Shou­ ties and colleges with a combined the soul of our culture. It is the gang Industrial Park on Thursday school enrollment surpassing 1 product of our intelligence. We are and Friday explored how to make million, as well as over 1,000 creativity. Technology is the sign full use of technological innovation research institutions, 44 public of our times, a formidable tool and cultural creativity to improve libraries and 183 museums and that we must learn to use in a vir­ urban management. cultural centers. tuous way, for the good of our cit­ A city is a special space for union, Recent years saw about 6 per­ ies and for the future of our cooperation and innovation and cent of the city’s GDP spent on communities. cities’ development will determine research and development, put­ Virginia Raggi, Rome mayor the future of societies, according to ting Beijing in the forefront of UNESCO Director­General Audrey global cities, according to Xu Azoulay. Qiang, director general of the Bei­ As a UNESCO Creative City of jing Science and Technology Com­ Design, Beijing provides an exem­ mission. The third UNESCO Creative Cities Beijing Summit attracts more than 30 representatives of plary combination of profound his­ With Zhongguancun Science international organizations and officials from 19 cities in 13 countries and regions to share insights into tory and state­of­the­art City, Huairou Science City, Future sustainable development on Thursday and Friday. ZHANG WEI / CHINA DAILY technology, she said. Science City and the Beijing Eco­ Beijing Mayor Chen Jining told nomic­Technological Develop­ the summit in a video speech that ment Area as key innovation resumption of production and sent a founding value of our the host city will create a better platforms, Beijing has made a business amid the prevention and democracy.” The concept of “Creativity public health safety system and series of breakthroughs in core control of COVID­19 in the post­ “These values are all the more empowers cities, technology cre­ increase coordinated efforts to pro­ technologies, Xu said. pandemic era. important in the present historical ates the future” of the summit mote social and economic develop­ Since Beijing joined the UNES­ Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, assist­ phase, characterized by the evolu­ includes the themes of “creativity” ment amid the prevention and CO Creative Cities Network in ant director­general for culture at tion of the pandemic, which has and “technology”, which are very control of COVID­19. 2012, the design industry has UNESCO, unveiled the e­publica­ made our planet suddenly smaller closely related to the city and “Digital technology and creative developed into a new growth spot tion of the UNESCO Creative Cit­ and our communities closer.” municipality today. We can say design have injected vigor into our in local economy, he added. ies’Response to COVID­19 at the Jan Vapaavuori, mayor of Hel­ that creativity and innovation are city,” Chen said. “The latest technol­ Some 150,000 professionals summit. sinki, Finland, said: “We need new indispensable factors for urban ogies including artificial intelli­ worked in nearly 900 major design It provides 70 innovative cases, innovative solutions, even when management to build the sustain­ gence and big data serve as a key firms in Beijing in 2018. More than which the UNESCO Creative Cities they mean significant changes to able cities of tomorrow. driving force behind Beijing’s eco­ 3,760 cultural and related busi­ Network had collected from more our existing systems. This is where Can Akin Caglar, secretary­ nomic growth.” nesses operated in the city and Digital technology than 90 member cities in 44 coun­ design thinking can be of immense general of the Istanbul The mayor encouraged more their combined business revenue and creative design tries since March, to showcase how help. The ‘Three Ds’ (design, dia­ Metropolitan Municipality new business modes and products. increased 8.2 percent in 2019 from to respond to the pandemic logue and digitalization) also help He said the city will enhance intel­ a year earlier, according to official have injected vigor through culture and creativity. us fight the most crucial challenge lectual property protection and statistics. into our city. The Among encouraged responses is of our time: global warming.” utilization and create a more “Through the further integra­ Beijing’s online medical consulta­ During the two­day event, more dynamic innovation ecosystem. tion of technology and culture, we latest technologies tion platform for COVID­19, than 30 representatives of interna­ Beijing will also advance the con­ will promote capital flow and real­ including artificial launched in early February. It took tional organizations and officials struction of a national comprehen­ ize economic resumption and sus­ six days to set up the platform, from 19 cities in 13 countries and sive demonstration zone for tainable development,” Xu said. intelligence and big where more than 1,700 doctors regions shared their insights into opening­up expansion in the ser­ As the first international crea­ data serve as a key have provided consultation servi­ urban management and sustaina­ vice industry and a pilot free trade tive cities­themed event organized driving force behind ces free of charge for over 58 mil­ ble development. zone, in a bid to improve its interna­ by UNESCO in cooperation with lion online visitors, Xu said. It was the third time that Beijing If something was clear to all of tional influence on cultural creativ­ local government since the COV­ Beijing’s economic Virginia Raggi, mayor of Rome, has played host to the UNESCO us, it is that “no one is saved ity and technological innovation, ID­19 outbreak, the gathering of growth.” Italy, said: “We strongly believe in Creative Cities summit. The previ­ alone”. We have the unique possi­ he noted. the UNESCO Creative Cities Net­ international collaboration. Multi­ ous two were held in 2013 and bility of building a new reality and Since it was designated as a work members also addresses Chen Jining, Beijing mayor lateralism and reciprocity repre­ 2016. a future different from the one we had in mind. And most important­ ly, we can do it collectively, listen­ ing and giving space to all voices Science and tech highlighted as key factor in urban expansion and ideas. Enrique Avogadro, minister of culture for Buenos Aires By LIANG KAIYAN dous shock that affected many eco­ ing ground to share urban develop­ [email protected] nomic sectors, including the ment opportunities. He culture and creative sectors,” she encouraged small and medium­ Science and technology will play said. sized enterprises to participate in a key role in urban management, Due to the impact of the COVID­ such opportunities. particularly in the face of global 19, it is imperative for cities turn Yuan Feng, vice­president of BOE challenges such as the COVID­19 this crisis into an opportunity, she Technology Group, said innovation pandemic, business insiders said at said, adding it is crucial to take is key to energizing a city’s vitality. a forum last week. advantage of smart city tools to Yuan shared BOE’s ultra­high The pandemic has accelerated advance inclusive economic definition 8K display products the shift toward a new urban para­ growth and people’s well­being. applied to some cultural events We believe that design has the digm for inclusive and sustainable Liu Hui, deputy director of the such as online concerts and the dig­ power to change things. For us, a cities, Lamia Kamal­Chaoui, direct­ Beijing Science and Technology ital Palace Museum. Technologies well­designed city means a func­ or of the Center for Entrepreneur­ Commission, said cities are “testing of 8K and 5G not only bring people tional city. We have incorporated ship, SMEs, Regions and Cities at ground” and “incubator” of tech­ fresh experiences but also upgrade the “Three Ds”, namely design, the Organization for Economic nologies. cultural consumption, Yuan said. dialogue and digitalization, in our Cooperation and Development, “Thanks to the large population “Urban life can be stressful,” he city strategy. Instead of individual told a panel during the third UNES­ and rich scenarios, cities promote said. “As an enterprise, it is our programs or projects, we aim to CO Creative Cities Beijing Summit technology development,” Liu said. Attendees of the third UNESCO Creative Cities Beijing Summit social responsibility to help build a take design, digitalization and dia­ on Friday. “Deeply integrating technologies exchange views during a break. ZHANG WEI / CHINA DAILY sustainable city.” logue into consideration in every­ The role of technology has been help cities become better, smarter The company has also developed thing we do. I am a strong believer crucial and digitization will remain and more livable.” a series of smart solutions covering in international cooperation — and a key component of a new normal, In June 2019, Beijing launched “Application scenarios are oppor­ and urban modernization, technol­ fields including transportation and that is why I also believe networks Kamal­Chaoui said.