BEIJING — The 2021 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) kicked off on Sept 24 in Beijing. President Xi Jinping delivered a speech via video at the opening ceremony.

Vice-Premier Liu He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attended the opening ceremony and declared the forum open.

Cai Qi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPC, presided over the opening ceremony.

The leaders of relevant countries and heads of international organizations attended the ceremony online.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General Daren Tang, secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Vladimir Norov, and president of the International Science Council (ISC) Daya Reddy delivered speeches via video.

Before the opening ceremony, Liu and Cai inspected the China Beijing International High-tech Expo and interacted with exhibitor representatives. The exhibition is part of the forum.

Liu called for giving full play to Beijing's advantages in science and technology innovation resources, strengthening basic research, and striving for more breakthroughs in core technologies.

Liu also urged expanding the market for achievements in applied research and innovations so that key and core technologies can generate greater values.

The 2021 ZGC forum, themed "intelligence, health, and carbon neutrality," hosts more than 60 events, including meetings, exhibitions, research achievement releases, competitions in cutting-edge fields, and technology trading.

This year's forum is scheduled from Sept 24 to 28 in Beijing.