Party Secretary Li interacts with CEOs as WAIC opens

Shanghai Party Secretary Li Qiang had a video conference with Christian Klein, CEO of SAP SE, and met Robin Li, chairman and CEO of Baidu, in Shanghai on July 9.

Li Qiang expressed his gratitude to Klein and Robin Li for delivering speeches at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai.

With the development of the digital economy, cloud computing and artificial intelligence have become indispensable, boosting forces for many industries, Li Qiang said.

He welcomed the expanded investment of SAP in Shanghai, thanking the company for putting forward more competitive services and products to advance the development of the digital economy in Shanghai.

Li Qiang also hailed Baidu for its focus on breakthroughs in basic technological innovation and empowerment of AI technology. He called for deepening cooperation and jointly creating a good industrial ecology to help Shanghai improve the scientific, refined, and intelligent level of urban governance.

Shanghai will fully leverage AI to enhance urban management, and the city will adopt a more open stance for AI to be adopted in a wide range of areas such as transport, housing, education, health care, elderly care, cultural and sports, the leader added.

Both Klein and Robin Li expressed their commitment to and confidence in Shanghai. City leader Zhuge Yujie joined the activities.

The WAIC opened in Shanghai on July 9, with the theme of “Intelligent Connectivity, Indivisible Community”.

Li Qiang told the opening ceremony that the city aims to become a strategic hub for the exchange of ideas and innovative AI applications between home and foreign markets.