CIE&HeXie Fourth Industry Insight Forum Successfully Held

On 30 June 2026, the Fourth Industry Insight Forum, hosted by the College of Industry-Entrepreneurs (CIE) and HeXie Management Centre (HeXie Academy) at XJTLU, was successfully held. Under the theme "The Silver Economy: Opportunities and Transformation in an Aging Society," the forum brought together leading experts in ageing policy, pension finance, health technology, and social services from both China and abroad. Participants engaged in in-depth dialogue on industrial transformation and pathways to innovation against the backdrop of accelerating population ageing.

The forum opened with a welcome address by Prof. Xiaobo Xu, Executive Dean of the CIE and Director of HeXie Academy. He noted that the College and Centre remain committed to balancing theoretical research with industrial practice, continually advancing the development of the "X-Eco Mall" and leveraging the "Kunshan Model" as a practical platform to foster synergy across sub-ecosystems. Against the backdrop of an ageing population, he observed, the silver economy has become a critical issue at the intersection of industrial innovation and social wellbeing. From the perspective of HeXie Management Theory, the development of the silver economy is essentially a matter of coordination within a complex system, requiring joint participation from government, enterprises, universities, and social organisations – pursuing the goal of "He" amid complex relationships while grasping the mechanisms of "Xie" in the face of dynamic change. The College and Centre are currently undertaking a series of explorations and practices centred on building a silver economy sub-ecosystem, and hope that the Industry Insight Forum will bring together diverse perspectives to drive both theoretical innovation and practical implementation.

Mr. Le Sheng, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Suzhou Civil Affairs Bureau, Jiangsu Province, delivered a speech focusing on "insight" and "HeXie." He observed that "insight" is not only a capability but also profound understanding and a process of discernment – and that the silver economy requires collective effort to cultivate such insight, bridging the chain from theory to product to application. Drawing on Suzhou's industrial heritage and urban character, he argued that the silver economy should not be narrowly defined by "grey hair"; rather, it concerns the entire population and society as a whole. Nor is it a single industrial chain, but the sum total of multiple economic activities, demanding a broader perspective. He further noted that pension finance is closely interlinked with technology finance, inclusive finance, digital finance, and green finance. Suzhou's 2.6 million elderly residents are not only a service population but also a vast market – the opportunity of the era has arrived, and all parties must participate, clarify their relationships, and pool their efforts.

Mr. Zhengxian Chen, Special Assistant to the President of CCB Principal Asset Management, concurrently serving as General Manager of the Securities Company Business Department, observed in his speech that the traditional three-stage life course will be reshaped in the era of longevity. Beyond financial planning, he argued, investment in knowledge, health, and adaptive capabilities is equally crucial. He systematically reviewed the tax incentives and self-directed investment advantages of China's personal pension system, and emphasised that against a backdrop of low interest rates and net-asset-value-based products, scientific asset allocation and cross-life-cycle planning are essential to balancing returns and risks. He urged early initiation of retirement investment, supported by professional advisory services, to achieve steady wealth accumulation.

The forum's themes are closely aligned with the Smart Ageing and Health Management (SAH) pathway offered within the MSc in Entrepreneurship and Innovation programme at the CIE and HeXie Academy. This pathway focuses on leveraging digital and intelligent technologies to enable collaborative innovation in the health and aged-care sector, and aims to cultivate talent for the silver economy and health-ageing innovation ecosystem – contributing to proactive responses to population ageing and the enhancement of wellbeing for older adults and society at large. The cutting-edge topics and practical insights discussed by experts at the forum are precisely the core content continually emphasised in the pathway's teaching.

This forum continued the cross-disciplinary, practice-oriented, and integration-promoting dialogue style for which the CIE and HeXie Academy are known, delivering both high-quality cutting-edge academic thinking and responding to the real needs of industry. Through rich exchanges, the forum provided substantial intellectual resources and collaborative opportunities for research innovation, policy optimisation, and business practice in the silver economy.