Mr. Fok Chun-yu, Co-Chairman of ICMU, led delegation to visit UAE

From June 29 to July 2, 2024, Mr. Fok Chun-yu, Co-Chairman of the International Carbon Materials Union (ICMU), led our delegation to visit the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates, and held talks with Minister Sharif Olama and Minister Abdullah Saleh on the establishment of the International Carbon Materials Union's Middle East regional headquarters in the UAE, the construction of a new material science and technology park, education and training, joint college, and the construction of future communities.

During the meeting, Chairman Fok Chun-yu said that in recent years, under the guidance of the "post-oil era" policy, the UAE has achieved rapid economic growth and intends to build itself into a global new energy technology industry center. Carbon materials are an indispensable cornerstone and forerunner of the new energy industry. The International Carbon Materials Union (ICMU) can bring advanced technologies from all over the world to the UAE and provide important support for the transformation and upgrading of traditional energy. The UAE is not only the economic center of the Middle East, but also the center of the intersection of Eastern and Western culture, economy, and finance. It is hoped that with the support of the local government, the regional headquarters of the International Carbon Materials Union for technology and industry incubation can be established to make full use of the advantages of abundant funds, favorable policies, open markets, and emphasis on effectiveness. Cooperation in science and technology park construction, global investment promotion, financing and securities, education and training, etc., will be carried out to jointly promote the innovation and application of new materials and new energy technologies around the world and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Co-Chairman Fok Chun-yu (center) of ICMU in friendly conversation with Suhail Al Mazrouei (right), Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates.

Minister Sharif Olama expressed his great respect and admiration for the contributions made by the Henry Fok Foundation to international sports and education. He welcomed Chairman Fok and his delegation to visit the UAE for exchanges. He and Chairman Fok have many mutual friends and are very willing to support the establishment of a regional headquarters of the International Carbon Union in the UAE, with Mr. Fok Chun-yu as co-chairman. He is willing to provide financial, market, policy and other support for the industrialization projects brought by the alliance, and actively recommend Khalifa University to carry out in-depth cooperation with ICMU in the fields of joint college, education and training.

Fok Chun-yu(fifth from left), co-chair of the International Carbon Materials Union (ICMU), and Sharif Olama (fifth from right), Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates, took a group photo with ICMU delegation members (Chen Qiang (fourth from right), senior economic adviser of ICMU, Liu Wei (second from right), secretary-general of the ICMU, Liu Ying (third from right), Jin Zhan (first from right), executive vice president of Chongqing Nobel Prize 2D Research Institute, Liu Yi (third from left), secretary-general of the Preparatory Committee of the Middle East Regional Headquarters of the International Carbon Union, Raul Silva (second from left), investment manager of the Middle East Fund of ICMU, and Li Cheng (first from left), chairman of Hebei Zhengsheng Industrial Group Co., Ltd.)

Abdullah Saleh, Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates, said in the meeting that under the current international situation, the UAE government has implemented policies to go all out to promote economic development and attract global scientific and industrial talents. In 2023, the total amount of foreign investment attracted was second only to the United States, ranking second in the world. There is no doubt that the UAE is developing into one of the international financial, trade and technology centers. He very much welcomes the establishment of the regional headquarters of the International Carbon Materials Union in the UAE, and will pay special attention to and support the industrialization projects of ICMU.

Delegation of the International Carbon Materials Union (ICMU) met with Abdullah Saleh (center), Undersecretary of State for Economy of the United Arab Emirates, at the Ministry of Economy

During this visit, Minister Sharif was deeply attracted by two new material projects of union member companies (graphene carbon fiber energy-saving conductors and graphene energy-saving lubricants). He was very interested in the energy-saving effects of new graphene materials, and specially arranged for technical experts to communicate with him. He also instructed that suitable application scenarios should be provided for these new products as quickly as possible, and actual testing and verification should be carried out. He also actively supported the application of new materials in the UAE first, and then assisted in promoting them to other Middle Eastern countries. He also said that if union member companies build factories in the UAE, in addition to giving priority to opening up the local application market, they will also coordinate with the government and funds to provide more support in investment and listing.

Minister Sharif arranged for the ICMU delegation to hold discussions with technical experts at the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure

The International Carbon Materials Union (ICMU) is a non-profit international non-governmental organization (NGO) focusing on the industrialization of carbon materials technology represented by graphene. The union is composed of leading companies, well-known scientific research institutions, professional service agencies and international associations in the field of carbon materials around the world. The purpose of the union is to build an open and forward-looking international exchange and cooperation platform for the industrialization of carbon materials technology. The union is headquartered in Beijing, China, and was approved by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China. It has several professional committees and several branches around the world. Through internal market-oriented operation models such as co-construction and sharing of intellectual property rights, collaborative innovation of international standards, win-win development of global markets, and extension and supplementation of industries, the union members are aligned with international market practices and rules, integrated into the global scientific and technological innovation system, and promoted technological progress in the carbon materials industry.