APEC SME business forum opens

A scene of the APEC SME Business Forum 2019. Courtesy of the organizers

The 2019 APEC SME Business Forum, a prominent economic cooperation platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under the framework of APEC, opened in Shenzhen yesterday.

The forum brought together 790 guests from 17 APEC member economies, enterprise representatives and scholars from business sectors to share ideas on regional cooperation, technological innovation, industry and finance matching, and the digital economy.

Organized by the Shenzhen government, China Center for Promotion of SME Development, China International Cooperation Association of SMEs and China Private Economy Association, it marked the second time the event has been held in the city.

At the opening ceremony, Wang Jiangping, vice minister of industry and information technology, said SMEs had become a major force for cooperation among Asia-Pacific economies and a driving force for Asia-Pacific economic development due to their large quantities, vitality in innovation and capabilities in creating jobs.

During the speeches, experts shared ideas on the development of SMEs from the perspectives of macro-economic policies, technology innovation, digital transformation and 5G application.

At the three parallel forums and dialogue sessions, scholars and entrepreneurs from APEC member economies shared ideas on the theme of how to apply new tech, such as 5G, industrial Internet, blockchain, AI and cyber safety to the sustainable development of SMEs.

During the forum, 16 enterprises from Nanshan District displayed their latest technologies and products in the 5G, AI, smart logistics, IoT and big data sectors.

By the end of September, Shenzhen had a total of 1.97 million registered SMEs, accounting for 99.6 percent of the city's total enterprises.