The highly anticipated China (Jiangsu) International Energy Storage Conference and Smart Energy Storage Technology and Application Exhibition were successfully held at the Nanjing International Expo Center in Jiangsu from June 14th to 16th. The exhibition platform played a crucial role and hosted a series of high-profile forums and conferences related to energy storage, advancing the development of the energy storage industry.
During the exhibition, the China Representative Office of the European Association of Energy Storage Trade (EAEST) held a grand inauguration ceremony that garnered attention from the energy storage industry nationwide. Prominent figures from various sectors attended the plaque unveiling ceremony, including Xiang Xin, a renowned expert from the National High-End Think Tank of the Ministry of Commerce, a Ph.D. in Economics, former Commissioner of the Ministry of Commerce in Shanghai, and the Director of the Department of Circulation Development of the Ministry of Commerce; Yu Jun, the General Manager and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of State Grid International Development Co., Ltd; Ding Ming, Deputy Minister of the United Front Work Department of the Nanjing Municipal Committee and Secretary of the Party Group of the Nanjing Federation of Industry and Commerce; Zhu Junpeng, President of the Jiangsu Energy Storage Industry Association, and Qiu Zhouwei, Secretary-General of the European Association of Energy Storage Trade, among other leaders and experts in the energy storage industry. The ceremony was a resounding success.
At the inauguration ceremony, Qiu Zhouwei, Secretary-General of the European Association of Energy Storage Trade (EAEST), provided a detailed overview of the current status and future prospects of the European energy storage industry. He expressed the association’s commitment to assisting an increasing number of Chinese companies in entering Europe and expanding globally. The establishment of EAEST’s China Representative Office holds significant importance for the future development of the energy storage industry. Energy storage technology plays a crucial role in sustainable energy utilization, energy transition, and carbon reduction. In the future, EAEST will provide strong support for the domestic energy storage industry’s development, create more opportunities for cooperation between European countries and companies, serve as a robust platform for energy storage technology research, promotion, and collaboration, and make significant contributions to the application of sustainable energy and the widespread adoption of energy storage technology.
The establishment of EAEST’s China Representative Office also facilitated the successful hosting of the China-Europe Energy Storage Enterprise Offline Communication Conference in the Netherlands. On June 20th, the conference, initiated by EAEST, was held in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Eelko Brinkhoff, Deputy Director of the Economic Development Agency of North Brabant Province; Jin Yuan, Counselor of the Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands; Marius Koops, International Development Advisor of the Enterprise Development Agency of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs; Joost de Laat, Asia Affairs Advisor of the North Brabant Provincial Government; Li Zhenhua, Director of the Jiangsu Province Trade and Economic Representative Office in the Netherlands; and Pan Zhi, Secretary-General of the Association of Chinese-funded Enterprises in the Netherlands, were present at the event. More than 90 representatives from Chinese and Dutch enterprises participated in the conference. The meeting provided an excellent platform for cooperation and exchange between energy storage enterprises from China and Europe.
The communication conference took place at the King Willem II Stadium in Tilburg, where Chinese and Dutch representatives discussed how to strengthen industrial cooperation in the field of new energy, particularly in photovoltaics and energy storage. Jin Yuan, Counselor of the Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands, stated in his speech that Jiangsu Province and North Brabant Province have officially launched a two-way trade promotion cooperation platform called “Pre-Exhibition and Post-Warehouse” between China and the Netherlands, which is already showing initial results. He mentioned that there is vast development potential for China and the Netherlands in the field of new energy, as expressed by Sigrid Kaag, the Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, who said, “Europe’s green transition cannot happen without China. In terms of sustainable economic development and green transition, the Netherlands and China need each other.”
Eelko Brinkhoff, Director of Foreign Investments & International Trade at Brabant Development Agency (BOM), stated in his speech that North Brabant Province and Jiangsu Province are friendly cities. In 2001, a direct freight train was opened between the two provinces, and last year, they initiated cooperation in the “Pre-Exhibition and Post-Warehouse” two-way trade promotion platform between China and the Netherlands. The deepening collaboration between the two sides has significantly improved the business environment in North Brabant Province. The Jiangsu Provincial Department of Commerce has played an important role in enhancing economic and trade contacts between the two regions and even between China and the Netherlands. He expressed his anticipation for further cooperation in the field of new energy between the two parties in the future.
Naomie Verstraeten, a board member of the Battery Competence Cluster NL, a new energy battery supply chain industry association under the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, mentioned during the conference that the Netherlands is planning to establish a complete new energy battery supply chain. Currently, the Netherlands does not have large-scale new energy battery cell production companies, but there is significant development potential in areas such as battery recycling and next-generation battery technologies. Many Chinese new energy companies have technological advantages in these fields, and the Netherlands looks forward to collaborating with them.
At the conference, Qiu Zhouwei, Secretary-General of EAEST, also expressed that several EU countries have already set carbon neutrality targets, creating significant demand in sectors such as photovoltaics and energy storage. Chinese new energy enterprises, particularly those in Jiangsu Province, possess substantial technological and production advantages. EAEST is committed to playing a bridging role and actively providing support to facilitate collaboration between these enterprises and the European market.
Gao Jiachuan, President of the Netherlands JRC Trade Port, expressed during the conference that the “Pre-Exhibition and Post-Warehouse” project has accumulated rich experience in areas such as storage and logistics, sales, and after-sales service for new energy photovoltaic and energy storage products. This project can provide great convenience for Chinese new energy enterprises to enter the Dutch and even European markets.
In addition, over 50 Chinese new energy enterprises from the photovoltaic and energy storage sectors shared their experiences in the development of the new energy industry. They discussed topics such as the market demand for photovoltaic and energy storage products in Europe, compliance requirements of European countries’ policies, storage supply chains, customs and tax laws, as well as the role of the “Pre-Exhibition and Post-Warehouse” trade promotion platform between China and the Netherlands.
The successful hosting of the China-Europe Enterprise Offline Communication Conference in the Netherlands as the first stop demonstrates the vision of China-Europe cooperation. In the future, EAEST will continue to organize various forms of offline exchange activities, such as enterprise conferences, visits, and field investigations, in China, Europe, and other countries. These activities aim to contribute to achieving global sustainable development goals. The cooperation and exchanges between China and Europe will undoubtedly provide more opportunities and platforms for the research, promotion, and market expansion of global energy storage technology, jointly creating a bright future for the energy storage industry.
