On March 24th in London, during the 2018 Sino-British Summit, Fosun promoted the third edition of Protechting, Fosun’s European-based acceleration program, in UK. In the past two weeks, Protechting 3.0 has been promoted in several innovation hotspots cities namely Lisbon, Macau, Brussels and Frankfurt. London, the fashion capital that combines the aristocratic atmosphere of the UK with cutting-edge creative culture, is the fifth stop of the Protechting 3.0’s global roadshow.

Protechting derives from the words "Protection" and "Technology". It aims to help the entrepreneurial dreams of global youth in the era of Internet+ and supports and promotes youth entrepreneurship in areas such as fintech, healthech and insurtech. Through the power of innovation Protechting aims to improve the quality of life of people.

The Protechting 3.0 UK event partner was the Sino-British Summit. The Sino British Summit is a non-profit organization, created in 2017 by young Chinese and British leaders with the aim of sparking conversation and cooperation between the UK and China. The Summit aims to provide a neutral platform that encourages open dialogue among the current and future stakeholders in the Sino British relationship, covering politics, finance, education and daily life.

This year’s summit was dedicated to explore the impact of the development of technology in China and the United Kingdom on e-commerce, education, and finance, and to find ways to promote the Sino-British bilateral relations during the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Nearly 300 political and business leaders and youth representatives from both China and the United Kingdom gathered to conduct a "Digital Dialogue”.

Prime Minister Theresa May has lent her support to the Sino British Summit. As part of a message of support for the Sino British Summit, Prime Minister Theresa May said: “The UK’s Industrial Strategy focuses on the importance of emerging technologies and I am therefore delighted to see that the theme of this year’s Sino British Summit is ‘Digital Dialogue.’ I have no doubt that this Summit will prove to be a valuable opportunity to build connections and start conversations between UK and Chinese businesses and entrepreneurs, taking the UK-China relationship from strength to strength.”

Caroline Wright, Director General of the British Educational Suppliers Association, said: “Over the last two decades, I have been pleased to note the increased importance of the role of the education sector in international trade. The UK’s Education GREAT campaign has had a fantastic impact on our education sector, and UK education has never before been in such high demand around the world. I am therefore delighted that the Sino British Summit will provide a forum to discuss education. After accompanying the Prime Minister, Theresa May, on her visit to China earlier this month, I witnessed first-hand how much our two countries already work together, and how much there is scope to further strengthen our links in the education and EdTech sectors, benefiting from the ‘golden era’ of the UK-China relations that we are currently enjoying.”

Fosun has been paying close attention and support to youth development, innovation and entrepreneurship.  Protechting is one of the major projects of Fosun Foundation in recent years. Protechting aims to help young people realize their dream of entrepreneurial innovation and cooperates with foreign well-known innovation incubators, venture capital funds, and public welfare organizations to create a global exchange for young entrepreneurs around the world. In early February of this year, Guo Guangchang, chairman of Fosun International, accompanied the Prime Minister of Teresa May in her visit to Yu Garden. Guo Guangchang said "Fosun is optimistic about the prospects for the development of Sino-British cooperation, especially in the areas of high technology integration, such as FinTech. Through the combination of technology and finance, the fincancial services provided to customers can be more efficient. China has a vibrant financial market, a large number of customers and the vibrant innovation ecosystem. The UK has world-class Universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, with some of the world's best talents. Fosun brought Protechting to the UK with the hope to support the British youth community with Fosun's global resources and expertise, through the incubation of innovative projects from young entrepreneurs”.

Li Zongyang, the founder of the Sino-British Summit and chairman of the board of directors, is a young Chinese who is only 21 years old. He was awarded with the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Prize at the age of 18. He has been pursuing cooperation and exchanges between China and the United Kingdom and setting up a platform for young people to interact. Last year, he was recommended by the director of the "China-UK Entrepreneur Golden List Maker Club" and joined "Pitch@Palace Global" as the youngest Chinese director. With the support of Li Zongyang and his team, the Sino-British Summit and Fosun jointly organized the Protechting British roadshow luncheon.

During the event Li Zongyang said “I am fortunate enough to be able to have this opportunity to connect Sino-British Summit with Fosun Foundation and Protechting. Fosun is combining its history to protect the future and I am honored that the Sino-British Summit has the opportunity to be part of the history. Rather than protect the future I sincerely hope that Sino-British Summit and Fosun Foundation can have the chance to shape the future”.

Jiang Su Nan, Minister Counsellor of Science and Technology of the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom, introduced to the guests the achievements of Sino-British cooperation and scientific research development, and emphasized that youth innovation is the cornerstone of social development. “As a benchmarking company for Chinese companies in the United Kingdom, Fosun plays an important role in promoting cooperation and development in the areas of science and technology, R&D, investment, and finance between the two countries”, he stated.

Mr. Gavin Winbanks, Director of International Trade Department of Capital Investment attended the luncheon as a representative of the British government and stated that “I think it is fair to say that 2018 has been a great year for the golden era of British-Chinese relations. And it’s only March! Our friendship with China will of course play a major role in our future economic destiny.  China is spending one trillion dollars across the world on improvements to trading infrastructure, such as ports and railways, as part of the “Belt and Road” programme.  It is an unprecedented and unparalleled contribution to the future of global prosperity”.

 Chen Zhuo, Managing Director of Fosun's Corporate Development Department and Co-executive Chief Representative of London Office, added “Entrepreneurship is part of the DNA of Fosun. Innovation and entrepreneurship are key elements for Fosun and we look forward to continue supporting the development of youth entrepreneurship through initiatives like Protechting.  The exchanges with talents from top universities and colleges made us feel the need to promote the development of startups”.

The guests who attended the event included Jiang Su Nan, Minister Counsellor of Science and Technology of the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom, Gavin Winbanks, Director of International Trade Department of Capital Investment, Ren Keying, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Bank of America Merrill Lynch China, and Glen Moreno, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Virgin Finance. Dr. Tang Jiejie, Deputy Secretary-General of China and Globalization Think Tank, Kerry Brown, Professor of Chinese Studies, King's College London (KCL), Michael Arthur, Dean of University College London, Chief Academic Officer of GEMS International Education Group, Tony Little, former President of Eton College, Jiangsu Province Representatives from Britain, Alibaba UK CEO, Director of Innovation Center of Oxford University, and over forty youth recruiting team recommended by UK top universities and British Institution Innovation Centers such as Cambridge University, Oxford University, Imperial College and London Business School also attended the luncheon, including the winner of the Sino-British Innovation Competition. British youth makers expressed their curiosity and interest in Protechting and they hope to participate in projects that connect with the Chinese market.