China-U.S. Makers Co-create the Future

　　On June 19, the 10th-anniversary celebration of the “Chunhui Cup” Chinese Overseas Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and the launch ceremony of the 2015 China-U.S. Young Makers Competition were held in Pittsburgh, USA. Representatives from academia and industry in both China and the U.S. unanimously expressed that young entrepreneurs and makers from China and the U.S. are living in an exciting era and are becoming a new highlight of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Intel CEO Krzanich said, “China has already become one of the world’s innovation hubs, and we’re thrilled to contribute to the maker movement and cultural exchange among young people in both China and the U.S. We hope to leverage our company’s advanced technologies, global perspective, and international resources to support innovation and build bridges for international exchange and cooperation among young innovators from both countries.”

　　As an important supporting event for the high-level China-U.S. cultural and people-to-people exchange consultations, this year’s China-U.S. Young Makers Competition is themed “Co-create the Future.” It focuses on sustainable development areas such as communities, education, health, transportation, environmental protection, and energy. By integrating innovative design concepts with cutting-edge technologies, the competition aims to create entirely new products or applications that deliver both industrial and social value. According to the competition schedule, the winning teams from each regional division in China and the U.S. will compete in the final stage of the competition in China in mid-August this year.

　　Over the past 10 years, the "Chunhui Cup" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition has selected a total of 1,654 innovation and entrepreneurship projects led by overseas-trained students. Among these, more than 300 projects have already been successfully launched and nurtured in China, covering such diverse fields as electronic information, biomedicine, new materials, and new energy. Of the projects that made it to the finals in the previous nine competitions, those led by overseas-trained students from the United States accounted for 41.5%. This year, a North America regional competition was also introduced for the first time.

　　Pittsburgh was once a renowned industrial city in the United States, famously known as the "Steel City." However, industrial development also brought with it thick clouds of smoke and dust. As the steel industry declined, Pittsburgh’s prosperity once faded. Locals told reporters that today, thanks to its thriving financial sector, healthcare industry, and manufacturing, Pittsburgh—located in America’s “Rust Belt”—has successfully transformed itself into a nationally acclaimed hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, achieving both prosperity and environmental sustainability. The launch ceremony for this year’s China-U.S. Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program was held here, lending an especially meaningful touch to the occasion.

　　Lei Bao, a Master of Business Administration student at Bridgeport University in the United States, is a winner of the 9th “Chunhui Cup.” Her award-winning project will soon be implemented in Nanjing. By participating in the “Chunhui Cup” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, Lei Bao has deeply realized that China is currently experiencing an unprecedented opportunity for entrepreneurship—especially given the country’s strong policy support for mass entrepreneurship and innovation by all sectors of society. Lei Bao says that the areas of cooperation between China and the United States are shifting from economics to innovation and creativity, and there are many valuable lessons that both sides can learn from each other. China can draw on the U.S.’s experience in cultivating entrepreneurs across society, while this exchange would also enable the American people to gain a closer understanding of Chinese capabilities in innovation and entrepreneurship. Take the mobile internet as an example: Chinese entrepreneurs are more confident in this field, whereas the U.S. actually has much to learn from China. This, in turn, will further promote equal competition and equal dialogue between China and the United States.

　　Nathan Smirak, a biomedical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh and a representative of young American makers, told our reporter in an interview that although there are differences between the U.S. and China in terms of history, culture, and stage of development, these very differences also present opportunities for mutual complementarity and cooperation. The convergence of ideas between young people from both countries in the realm of innovation and entrepreneurship will help deepen mutual understanding and cultivate a new generation of young talents who are not only innovative but also possess a global perspective. This collaborative force will undoubtedly have a positive and profound impact on the next generation in both countries, and Nathan is fully confident about this. Even more importantly, in cutting-edge fields such as new energy, the U.S. and China, working hand in hand, can offer innovative solutions to the common challenges faced by countries around the world.