SZ a ‘springboard for mainland, intl. markets’

 Shenzhen not only serves as a springboard for entering the mainland market but also for the international market, Li Dawei, director of Shenzhen Open Innovation Lab, said while addressing the Cross-Strait Young Maker Forum held at Sino-Finnish Design Park on Friday afternoon.

A Taiwan maker who has been working in Shenzhen for many years, Li cited many real-life examples of how Chinese and foreign entrepreneurs successfully developed their businesses in African countries by learning from the successful models of Shenzhen. He illustrated his point of view: “Nowadays, people overseas don’t want to copy a Silicon Valley, they want to copy a Shenzhen.”

“Why do I cite so many stories about Africa? Especially for startups from Taiwan, when you are considering the Chinese mainland, it’s not only about the mainland market, it’s actually a springboard for entering the international market. Going global from Shenzhen, from the mainland, enjoys many advantages: The mainland’s industrial base, the open and innovative supply chain... these have already brought many opportunities for young startups,” said Li.

Zhang Jiuzhou, co-founder of XIVO DESIGN, shared how their company stands out in the market via innovation and observation of the trend and lifestyle of young people. The company is helping an increasing number of maker teams to gain market share and succeed through their unique designs.

Shirley Feng, president of the Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association (SIDA) and founder of Sino-Finnish Design Park, said she was deeply impressed with the valuable experiences from the development miracles of the special economic zones (SEZs) including Shenzhen, which was identified by President Xi Jinping during a speech Oct. 14 at a gathering marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen SEZ.

“Sino-Finnish Design Park is creating better platforms for communication and services for cross-Straits young makers,” said Yang Li, vice director of Shenzhen’s Taiwan affairs office, who added that the upgrading and transformation of enterprises and cities requires innovation and entrepreneurship.

Friday’s forum was jointly organized by the city’s development and reform commission, science, technology and innovation commission and Taiwan affairs office