The 2025 World New Energy Vehicle Conference will take place on May 20 in Abu Dhabi. Wan Gang, President of the China Association for Science and Technology and Chairman of the Conference, will attend. Suhail Mohamed Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the UAE, will also be present. Feng Fei, Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Committee, and Zhang Yiming, Chinese Ambassador to the UAE, will join them. Kori Singh, Deputy Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, will attend as well. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of DP World, will participate. Omar Al-Futtaim, Chairman of the Al Futtaim Group, will be there too. Zhou Wenbiao, a member of the China Association for Science and Technology and Director-General of the General Office, will also attend. Mohammed Al Hosani, Executive Director of the Public Transport Affairs Department at the Abu Dhabi Integrated Transport Center, will be present.
Chairman Wan Gang delivered a keynote speech. He stated that addressing climate change and strengthening low-carbon, green economic transformation is a common choice for all countries. Building a new energy system focused on renewable energy supports sustainable national economic development. Accelerating the electric, intelligent, and low-carbon transformation of the automotive industry achieves a win-win situation for low-carbon transition and industrial upgrading. Chairman Wan noted that China continuously innovates in photovoltaic, wind power, and energy storage construction. This innovation supports comprehensive development in agriculture, industry, and fisheries. The electric and intelligent transformation of the automotive industry drives profound changes in the automotive supply chain and industrial ecosystem. It expands industry boundaries and creates a new modern automotive industry cluster that is innovation-led, data-driven, efficient, resilient, safe, and low-carbon sustainable. China’s automotive industry progresses in an orderly manner, promoting the coordinated development of power batteries, charging and swapping, renewable energy, and intelligent driving. Chairman Wan emphasized the need to deepen international exchange and cooperation to accelerate the development of the new energy vehicle market. The UAE offers unprecedented opportunities for the new energy vehicle industry. Chinese companies should consider the UAE’s climate characteristics and market preferences. They must provide better products and services tailored to the UAE market, achieving mutual benefits through a “dual approach” of technology and capital. Looking globally, we should leverage initiatives like the Belt and Road and RCEP to contribute more to green, low-carbon, safe, and intelligent development, especially for developing countries.
Secretary Feng Fei shared the green practices of the free trade port. He introduced a series of measures for the construction of Hainan’s free trade port and ecological civilization pilot zone. Hainan aggressively develops green energy. Clean energy accounts for over 80% of installed capacity. The target reaches 94% by 2035. Hainan established the zero-carbon demonstration area on Dongyu Island, reducing carbon emissions by 99%. The penetration rate of new energy vehicles reaches 58.2%, ranking first among provincial regions in the country. Hainan also has a complete infrastructure network. It integrates a charging and swapping platform and a 5G vehicle-road-cloud collaborative system. Relying on the free trade port policy, Hainan deepens cooperation with the UAE. Trade with the UAE will increase by 30% in 2024. Direct shipping between Yangpu Port and Abu Dhabi Port reduces costs by 12% and speeds up by 10-15 days. This will enhance collaboration in vehicle supply chains and support global green transformation. Ambassador Zhang Yiming stated that the UAE, as the first country in the Middle East and North Africa to sign the Paris Agreement, prioritizes green transformation and technological innovation. It vigorously develops the new energy vehicle industry and leads regional countries. The cooperation between China and the UAE in new energy vehicles is a timely, mutual effort. In this field, both sides can strengthen technological R&D cooperation. They can tackle key challenges in battery technology and charging infrastructure, improving vehicle performance and reducing costs. In the intelligent connected field, companies from both nations can explore applications of cutting-edge technologies like autonomous driving and vehicle-road collaboration. They can create a safer, more efficient, and convenient intelligent transportation system. In the hydrogen energy sector, both parties can engage in deep cooperation in hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and application, building a green, low-carbon hydrogen energy industry chain. Deep cooperation in new energy vehicles will drive industrial collaboration between the two countries and contribute to global green transformation and sustainable development. Deputy Director-General Gao Li Xing emphasized the need to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and improve energy efficiency to achieve the net-zero emission target by 2030. Despite significant growth in global renewable energy capacity, we still face a large gap from the targets set at COP28. The goal is to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency. In 2024, the world added 585 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, with China leading significantly. By 2050, direct electrification in the global economy will exceed 51%. Electricity will become the main energy carrier, supported by clean energy like hydrogen. However, the electrification of transportation, building heating and cooling, and heavy industry lags behind. We must overcome bottlenecks through technological innovation. This requires breakthroughs in battery and photovoltaic technologies, as well as systemic innovations in infrastructure, business models, and grid integration. Countries should look to China as a benchmark. They need to turn commitments into actions through policy innovation and industry collaboration. Sun Hanxing, a member of the Ruian Municipal Committee and Minister of Propaganda, Li Sheng, Chairman of FAW Jiefang, Jeffrey X L Yu, Business Development Manager at KEZAD Group, and Bao Huanhuan, General Manager of the Overseas Business Department of China Automotive Engineering Research Institute, spoke about promoting the green transformation of transportation energy and discussed development opportunities in the Middle East. Mohammed Al Hosani, Executive Director of the Public Transport Affairs Department at Abu Dhabi Integrated Transport Centre, Zhang Liang, General Manager of Baidu’s Intelligent Driving Business Group for Europe and the Middle East, and Rashid Al Muhtadi, Marketing Director at Kintsugi, discussed the application and implementation of autonomous driving. Mohammed Makhtari, CEO of NIO Middle East and North Africa, Zhang Chi, CEO of Guangdong Qingneng New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Li Hui, General Manager of Zhonghe Skon Hydrogen Energy Development Co., Ltd., Yang Angming, Strategic Vice President of TruKKer Technologies, and Qiao Taikong, General Manager of Mingyang Group’s Hydrogen-Ammonia Industry Center, spoke about promoting clean energy.
The conference attracted over 200 participants from the global automotive industry. Guests exchanged ideas and promoted cooperation between China and Arab countries. They worked together on smart energy and smart transportation technologies. They also built joint industrial chains and expanded markets. Together, they aimed to create an open, inclusive, and cooperative automotive industry.