"Innovation is key for companies to remain competitive in today's fierce market," said Chairman Chen during his speech. He pointed out that this conference not only serves as an important measure for Huayou to cope with complex international situations but also represents a significant opportunity to implement the national strategy of innovation-driven development and facilitate the transformation and upgrading of the company. He reviewed Huayou's arduous exploration and remarkable achievements on the path of innovation: from successfully building an integrated cobalt industry chain in its early days to achieving global layout in lithium battery materials; from overcoming resource development challenges to leading green manufacturing trends. Huayou firmly believes that there are no forever-successful enterprises, only those that keep up with the times, and continuous innovation is essential for long-term corporate development.

While summarizing over thirty years of innovation-driven development achievements, Chairman Chen conducted an in-depth analysis of the current domestic and international situation. With increasing uncertainties in the global economy and industrial environment and rapidly changing markets presenting significant challenges to business development, Huayou must use innovation as a breakthrough point to discover new opportunities for development and achieve sustainable growth.

In line with the deployment of the National Two Sessions to "promote the integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation," Chairman Chen emphasized that innovation is the core driving force behind Huayou's development, with both scientific and technological innovation and management innovation serving as "dual wheels" for high-quality development. These two aspects complement each other: scientific and technological innovation drives changes in management models, while management innovation provides strong support for the implementation of technology. The success stories of century-old enterprises globally show that only through innovation can businesses grow their operations, and through management can they consolidate their leading advantages, ensuring steady progress in a volatile market environment. Therefore, all employees should focus on two main areas to seek breakthroughs:

Huayou needs to consider industrial development directions from a strategic perspective and evaluate development benefits from a financial standpoint. By continuously innovating to improve product quality, reduce costs, and enhance corporate profitability, it aims to achieve high-quality development.

Huayou should actively expand international cooperation, strengthen market development internationally, and increase its international influence. At the same time, it must adhere to the concept of green development, achieving a harmonious unification of economic and social benefits, supporting sustainable development through innovation.

"Innovation is a long-term endeavor that requires sustained investment and relentless effort," concluded Chairman Chen, calling on all Huayou employees to take this conference as a new starting point. Focusing on the goals of "Technological Huayou, Green Huayou, Open Huayou, Responsible Huayou," he urged everyone to strengthen their beliefs, solidify their foundations, break through developmental "ceilings," and unwaveringly lead with innovation to lay a solid foundation for building a century-old enterprise.

Innovation Forum

During the conference, an innovation forum was also held. Representatives from various industrial groups and functional departments gave speeches on topics such as breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies of new energy materials, deep reforms in management models, innovations in production processes, and optimization and upgrading of supply chains. Their presentations were rich in content, detailed in case studies, and novel in viewpoints, fully demonstrating Huayou's outstanding capabilities and profound accumulation in the field of innovation.

To ensure participation from employees around the world, the conference also set up sub-venues in Quzhou, Yulin, Chengdu, Tianjin, Nanjing, Beijing, Indonesia, Congo (Kinshasa), Zimbabwe, Hungary, South Korea, and other locations, using live video streaming to allow every Huayou employee to feel the powerful impetus of innovation and development.