High - tech meeting of minds in Seattle area

High tech and business converged for the third annual Nan Hai Biz-Tech Summit.

On Oct 24, the Hyatt Regency hotel in Bellevue, Washington, filled with entrepreneurs, business people and technologists from the United States and China.

Microsoft Vice-President Gaurav Sareen kicked off the summit with a speech on entrepreneurial culture. Liu Ysanping, president and founder of Data Center of China Internet, gave the keynote speech: US versus China: Top 20 Key Innovations in Smart Economics.

'About 800 people registered for our summit and we are glad to host a Seattle Startup Challenge for young people this year. Our mission is to build a bridge between East and West and to create Innovators,' manager of Nan Hai Kirkland office Xie Xuquan said.

Attendees included industry experts from Microsoft, Huawei, Expedia, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and Google.

After the morning conference session on cutting-edge tech trends in cybersecurity, mobile development, IoT (Internet of Things), digital marketing and e-commerce, the summit also featured the Seattle Startup Challenge with 15 competitors.

'We witness the growth of the summit every year,' said Ren Faqiang, deputy consul general of the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco. 'The city of Seattle and the state of Washington are pioneers of the business cooperation between China and the United States. The summit gives an opportunity for business leaders and young high-tech pioneers to exchange views and better cooperate,' Ren said.

Washington state looks to international trade and increasingly to technology as the backbone of the state’s economy. China is Washington state's top trading partner. Two-way trade in 2014 totaled more than $29 billion. The aerospace industry produced 53 percent of Washington goods bought by China.

The summit is the largest local event connecting business and high-tech leaders from China after the city hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping and his delegation during his visit to the United States last month.

When Xi met with top executives of US and Chinese tech companies in Seattle, he called for a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyberspace and closer bilateral cooperation. He also encouraged multinational IT companies to deepen cooperation with Chinese partners.

lindadeng@chinadailyusa.com