Gathering the Cutting-edge Science and Technology of Rubber Chemical Industry, Assembling the Cream of Worldwide SMART Rubber.(SMART refers to Solution, Marketing, Achievement, Renovation, and Trend.) In the morning of 15th October, with the special ceremony of watering SMART rubber trees with hands, China (Qingdao) International Rubber Industry Expo officially kicked off at Qingdao International Convention and Exhibition Center, aiming at forging a great Davos-like event in chemical rubber industry. Many leaders of international organizations of states and industries and about 100 representatives of overseas and domestic media attended the ceremony, including Li Yongwu, Chairman of CPCIF, Liu Mingjun, deputy mayor of Qingdao, Gao Qing, party secretary of QUST, Deng Yali, Chairman of China Rubber Industry Association, and its honorary chairman Fan Rende, secretary general Xu Wenqing, President of Thai-Chinese Culture and Relationship Council, the ambassadors to China of Thailand, Laos and Sri Lanka, deputy mayor of Akron, the president of Indonesia’s Natural Rubber Association, the former secretary of ANRPC and the delegates of all levels of government of Qingdao.

At the opening ceremony, Deng Yali, the Chairman of China Rubber Industry Association, said that the rubber industry of the world developed rapidly in recent years, and with its annual value of production of rubber industry up to 928 billion yuan, China has become the biggest producer and exporter of rubber products, and also the biggest consumption country of natural rubber in the world, playing a decisive role in the development of the global rubber industry. With the integration of world economy, cooperation and development have become the new trend among countries, regions and industries.

Liu Mingjun, the deputy mayor of Qingdao, addressed that as the rubber city of the oriental world, Qingdao has always been the place for gathering resources in rubber industry, an important base for rubber research and development, and the biggest import and export port of natural rubber and rubber products in China. He also noted, known as the Huangpu Military Academy of Rubber Industry, Qingdao University of Science and Technology holds a significant position in rubber industry at home and abroad.. Moreover, he emphasized that being one of the earliest cities that developed rubber industry in China, Qingdao’s industrial development is closely related to rubber industry.

After the opening ceremony, Gao Qing visited the exhibition, held cordial talks with enterprise representatives, and went to the exhibition stand of QUST and extended greetings to the teachers and students who arranged the exhibition. The 80-square-meter exhibition stand of QUST, featuring its history and characteristic as the Huangpu Military Academy of Rubber Industry and focusing on its introduction of scientific research, teaching, postgraduate education, international cooperation in running schools, employment, industry-university-research cooperation and alumni, has attracted lots of alumni and enterprise representatives to stop by.

After visiting the exhibition, Gao Qing accepted an exclusive interview, answering journalists’ questions from three aspects, including the origin between QUST and rubber, the background and original intention of putting forward the concept of Rubber Valley, and the useful exploring in industry-university-research cooperation.

(Translated byLi Guojing)