Bai Chunli delivers a speech at 'Dialogue on Technological Civilization and Co-Building Happiness' Sub-forum

Today, we gather in the beautiful city of Macao, where Eastern and Western cultures converge, to celebrate the grand opening of the Macao Sub-Forum of the Greater Bay Area Science Forum. First of all, on behalf of the forum organizers, I would like to extend our warmest welcome and sincere gratitude to friends from all sectors, friends from the Chinese business community, industry leaders, and all those who care about the future of science and technology!

This forum takes " Dialogue on Technological Civilization and Co-Building Happiness" as its theme and "Digital-Intelligent Bay Area·Co-Building Happiness" as its mission. This is not only a question for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, but also an era-defining question for the global modernization process: In an era where technological capabilities are unprecedentedly powerful, how should we lead the development of sci-tech civilization so that it truly serves humanity's universal pursuit of a happy life?

The Contemporary Mission of Science, Technology and Civilization

Looking back at human history, from the Agricultural Revolution to the Industrial Revolution, from the Information Age to today's Intelligent Age, every wave of scientific and technological advancement has profoundly reshaped the landscape of civilization and changed humanity's definition of and pursuit for happiness. Today, we stand at an unprecedented historical intersection: cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and life sciences are propelling us toward a future filled with infinite possibilities, while also bringing unknown challenges.

The Core Path to Realize "Digital and Intelligent Bay Area, Jointly Building Happiness"

Against this backdrop, the core essence of proposing "Digital and Intelligent Bay Area, Jointly Building Happiness" lies in the following two aspects:

First, Sci-tech development must be "people-centered", enhance new-quality productive forces, and bring warmth to life

Technology itself is neutral, but the direction of sci-tech civilization must be warm. The elements of new-quality productive forces are not merely about developing the digital economy and building smart cities; the ultimate goal is not to pursue cold computing power and data, but to make urban governance more efficient, public services more convenient, and people's lives more comfortable. We should enable digital technology to become a bridge that eliminates barriers and benefits the general public, rather than a wall that creates divides. We need intelligent algorithms to understand human needs, safeguard social fairness and justice, and serve as an "empowerer" that improves people's well-being and creates a sense of happiness

Second, Sci-tech innovation must be guided by "civilization" to steer in the right direction

Powerful sci-tech strength requires equally strong civilized spirit for guidance. While pursuing the limits of technology, we must adhere to the bottom line of ethics and promote the spirit of humanism. The concept of "harmony between man and nature" and the ethical view of "benevolence loves people" in Chinese civilization are highly consistent with the concepts of sustainable development and "technology for good" that we advocate today. We should promote in-depth dialogue between science and technology and humanities, infuse the wisdom of ancient civilizations into modern science and technology as its soul, and ensure that technological progress always serves the overall and long-term interests of humanity.

Third, Serve National Strategies and Undertake the Mission of the Times

Against this global backdrop, China is advancing Chinese modernization in an all-round way through high-quality development. As a frontier for the country's reform and opening-up, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has been assigned the strategic position of building an "International Science and Technology Innovation Center". It should be not only a "Bay Area of Economy", but also a "Bay Area of Wisdom", a "Bay Area of Civilization" and a "Bay Area of Happiness". Here, our efforts to use "digital and intelligent" technologies to reshape urban forms, enhance governance efficiency and nurture the humanistic spirit go far beyond the regional scope itself. We aim to create a tangible, understandable and replicable "model" for China's modern urban construction, making the Greater Bay Area a key node in the global sci-tech cooperation network, and letting the light of sci-tech civilization illuminate the path to happiness for more people.

Fourth, Take the "Bay Area" as a Testbed and the "Belt and Road" as a Bridge to Jointly Build a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

At the same time, we are well aware that true happiness can never be enjoyed exclusively by one region

Currently, global challenges such as climate change, energy security and the digital divide remain severe, and the task of achieving the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals is still arduous. This requires us to transcend the barriers of national borders and disciplines, and pool global sci-tech forces. The "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits" advocated by the Belt and Road Initiative is an important practical path for building a community with a shared future for mankind. And sci-tech cooperation is the most dynamic and inclusive engine on this path. The ultimate goal of our efforts to promote the progress of sci-tech civilization is to empower people of all countries to share a happy life of security, dignity and prosperity.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a vibrant hotbed of innovation and a window of civilization facing the future. The construction of the "Digital and Intelligent Bay Area" promoted here is a grand experiment on "how science and technology can benefit humanity", exploring a new paradigm with people's happiness as the ultimate criterion. It will transform the Greater Bay Area from a "highland of technological innovation" into a "source of ideas for sci-tech civilization".

We will promote this "happiness-oriented" sci-tech civilization paradigm to take root in a broader context, encourage the integration and mutual learning of Chinese wisdom and world wisdom, and jointly contribute solid sci-tech support and feasible practical paths to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Join Hands to Create the Future

Friends, the exploration of science is endless, and humanity's pursuit of happiness is also endless. From the global vision to the Bay Area's practice, and then from the Bay Area's model to global service—this is the core logic of our dialogue. Let us join hands and take this forum as a new starting point. Based in the Greater Bay Area and looking at the whole world, we will take science and technology as a bridge and civilization as the soul to jointly paint a new picture of the joint construction of human urban happiness and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind!