China Elecronics Chamber of Commerce President Wang Ning interviewed in Invest Beijing
Editor's Note: Wang Ning, President of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (CECC), is engaged in the organization of the electronic information industry and has extensive experience in association management. He also serves as the president of the "Consumer Electronics" magazine. He has served as the Vice Chairman of the Hainan Ecological Software Park and is currently an independent director of Jiu Rong Holdings Limited (a Hong Kong-listed company).
The Electronic Cigarette Professional Committee of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (ECCC) is one of the branches of the CECC, operating independently under the guidance and management of the Chamber. Wang Ning, President of CECC, provides guidance and support for the development of the ECCC, contributing to the high-quality growth of the association.
Article by Lu Wang of Invest Beijing; edited by Rui Tian and Ellesmere Zhu - Today, in the rapidly developing economic and social landscape, business associations play an increasingly important role. They provide a haven for members in difficult times, lead collective development in the face of opportunities, and serve as a bridge between the government and the business community. In today's era, electronic information technology has permeated every aspect of economic and social development, and the growth of the electronic information industry also relies on the support of industry business associations.
CECC is one of the largest industry associations in China's electronic information industry. Established in 1988, the CECC is now registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It is an industry association made up of voluntary units, groups, and industry organizations that produce and operate electronic information products. Through eight systems, nine platforms, 10 departments, 34 professional committees, and 21 local chamber offices, the CECC provides daily services and business support to more than 14,000 enterprise members.
Recently, our reporter interviewed Wang Ning, President of the CECC, at the Sinoeex Digital Economy Innovation Park in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone.
Interviewing Wang Ning is not easy, as he is incredibly busy. Wang Ning's daily schedule is planned down to the minute. He showed the reporter his densely-packed agenda, which includes conducting in-depth investigations in various parts of the country and advocating for member companies. Being busy has long become a habit for him.
This year marks Wang Ning's 35th year at the CECC. Graduated from China People's University in 1982, he previously served as the director of the sales bureau of the former Ministry of Electronics Industry and the director of the management department of the National Home Appliance Management Center. His extensive work experience in the field of the electronics and information industry and his in-depth market research have given him rich experience in market marketing, network communication, after-sales service, conference exhibitions, and the development of consumer electronics and information industry. He has witnessed the great changes and development of the electronic information industry.
Reflecting on the development of the chamber over the past 30 years, "When our chamber was first established, there were only three or four staff members, a total of CNY 40,000 in membership fees, and only 54 members. Today, the chamber has total assets of over CNY 100 million, over 50 staff members, and the most significant change is that the membership has grown from 54 to more than 14,000 companies, making us an important chamber organization in the industry." Wang Ning felt proud to witness the chamber's growth.
Wang Ning said that the CECC has several missions and tasks. First, it is a bridge and link between the government and enterprises. Second, it is a bridge and link for communication between enterprises. Third, and the most outstanding role of the chamber is to become a bridge and link between enterprises and the market, truly realizing the concept of promoting enterprises with the chamber and winning in the market with the chamber.
"Do you know what enterprises care most about? They care most about whether their products have a market. Even the best high-tech products cannot survive if there is no market. Therefore, the most important concern for enterprises is where is the market." When discussing the work of the CECC and how it can play a role in enterprise development, Wang Ning went straight to the point.
CECC is committed to helping enterprises enter both domestic and foreign markets, and therefore its main focus is to provide services to help enterprises expand their markets.
Participating in exhibitions is an important marketing tool for expanding markets and is welcomed by enterprises. As an important member of the World Electronics Forum, CECC maintains close cooperation and good business relations with many electronic chambers, associations, and government-related agencies from various countries, such as the American Electronics Industry Alliance, the American Consumer Technology Association, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Association, the Korea Electronics Industry Promotion Association, the Japan Communications Sales Association, as well as the US Department of Commerce, the International Trade Center, and the German Investment and Trade Agency. Therefore, the chamber organizes several large-scale events every year, including exhibitions, forums, and new technology promotion meetings. Some exhibitions are even global in scale, such as the China International Semiconductor Equipment, Materials, Manufacturing and Services Exhibition (SEMICON China) held in Shanghai every year, which has been jointly organized by CECC and the International Semiconductor Association for more than 20 years and is currently the largest industry event in the world. Another example is the China International Optoelectronic Expo (CIOE), which has been held for nearly 20 sessions and is currently the largest optoelectronic technology expo in the world.
With the increasing emphasis on digital economic development by the country, the chamber has established the influential China International Digital Economy Expo. On October 11, 2019, the first China International Digital Economy Expo opened in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, and President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter.
In addition to exhibitions, the chamber also organizes more than a hundred forums every year, such as the Global Digital Economy Alliance Summit, which is jointly organized by CECC and Forbes. It announces the ranking of the top 100 global digital economy enterprises at the summit every year.
"The purpose of holding these events is to push enterprise products into the market. This is a critical job for us. It is precisely because we have invested a lot of effort in this work that we are the most active among the various associations in the industry," Wang Ning said confidently.
With its own advantages, resources, and strong influence, CECC plays a very important role in the process of building platforms, grafting resources, and ultimately introducing them into the market, by participating in the organization and investment attraction of many major conferences both domestically and abroad.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are important carriers for promoting mass entrepreneurship and innovation. They play an irreplaceable role in increasing employment, promoting economic growth, technological innovation, social harmony and stability, and have important strategic significance for national economic and social development. According to Wang Ning, more than 85% of the 14,000 member units of the Chamber of Commerce are SMEs, so serving SMEs is an important task of the Chamber of Commerce. In recent years, the country has attached great importance to the development of SMEs, especially those with professional, refined, distinctive, and innovative features.
"In response to national policies, our Chamber of Commerce has specially established a specialized and refined SME service center. This center helps more SMEs enter the list of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises recognized by the country, and provides more assistance and support to them," said Wang Ning. The Chamber of Commerce provides full-process assistance to enterprises, starting from the application process, guiding them on how to meet the standards of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises recognized by the country. The Chamber of Commerce then guides enterprises step by step to enter the local list, then the national list, and become a "little giant," finally helping them go public on the Beijing Stock Exchange and become a unicorn. Throughout this whole process, the Chamber of Commerce helps SMEs like a nanny, holding their hand and guiding them. As long as an enterprise applies to the Chamber of Commerce, it will assist the enterprise in completing this path and help it become a unicorn.
During the epidemic, the electronic information industry did not suffer as much as the catering, tourism, and transportation industries, but it was also a great challenge for the organization of exhibitions. The chamber overcame numerous difficulties to organize various large-scale exhibitions on schedule. These included the 2021 China International E-commerce Expo and the 2nd World Digital Trade Conference and the 1st China Science and Innovation Conference held in Yiwu, Eastern China; the 2021 China International Digital Economy Expo and International Intelligent Connected Vehicles and Smart Mobility Summit Forum held in Shijiazhuang, Northern China; the 2021 China International Optoelectronics Expo and the 1st International Cross-border E-commerce Expo held in Shenzhen, Southern China; the 6th China Informatization Integration Development Innovation Conference held in Beijing; and the Global Trade Facilitation and Cross-border E-commerce Development Forum held in Shanghai. These exhibitions provided many small and medium-sized enterprises with valuable opportunities for communication and growth.
2023 is the year of implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the crucial year for implementing the "14th Five-Year Plan". Regarding the development of the Chamber of Commerce, Wang Ning proposed the four-word concept summarized according to the requirements of the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China: openness, innovation, pragmatism, and inclusiveness.
Wang Ning explained, "Our chamber should be open, and the platforms of the chamber should also be open, to attract more member companies to join and provide an open platform and opportunities for more enterprises. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that we must 'adhere to innovation as the core position in the overall modernization construction of our country.' The report further clarified the goal of 'achieving high-level technological self-reliance' and put forward strategic measures to improve the new state system and form a globally competitive open innovation ecosystem. We must focus on the country's goals and open up innovative situations."
Regarding pragmatism and inclusiveness, Wang Ning said with great emphasis, "The path to simplicity is practicality. The Chamber of Commerce should do practical things, not just talk about vague concepts, and truly contribute to the development of enterprises and play the role that the Chamber of Commerce should have. The so-called inclusiveness means that we should be equal and inclusive to both state-owned and private enterprises, regardless of the size of the enterprise, to achieve common development."
Talking about his years of experience working in the Chamber of Commerce, Wang Ning said, "I am the third president of the Chamber of Commerce. When the Chamber of Commerce was established, I participated in the preparatory work. At that time, I was still a part-time deputy secretary-general. Later, I worked as a full-time deputy secretary-general, secretary-general, vice president, and executive vice president until now, as the president. Almost half of my life has been devoted to the Chamber of Commerce. My biggest experience after working in the Chamber of Commerce for so many years is that as the leader of the Chamber of Commerce, the most important thing is to integrate with the service object, that is, the members, and provide all-round and high-quality services to them."
This is what the Chamber of Commerce does. It helps members solve the problems they raise in a timely manner. For example, when companies run out of funds, have no place to operate, or need policy support, the Chamber of Commerce steps forward to speak and provide services for its members. Over the years, because the Chamber of Commerce has been so dedicated to safeguarding the interests of enterprises, more and more members have gathered around the Chamber of Commerce. Wang Ning concluded that the reason why the Chamber of Commerce can attract enterprises is that it can fully serve them. If we don't serve enterprises well, they will not follow us. The key work that the Chamber of Commerce always focuses on is enterprise services, and it is a comprehensive service.
Wang Ning smiled and said, "the journey is long, and the only way forward is through hard work". Although his work is busy, he still enjoys it. Despite investing a lot of time and energy to help businesses overcome challenges every day, once accomplished, there is a tremendous sense of pride and achievement.
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