From September 1 to 4,the Asia-Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit (APCYS) 5.0 was successfully held in Hangzhou. The event was hosted by the ICA Asia-Pacific and the ICA-AP Committee on Youth Cooperation (ICYC), and co-organized by the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives (ACFSMC) andZJIET. Under the theme "Future-Ready Cooperatives: Youth Shaping Ethical AI and Digital Economies," theevent brought together over 110 participants, including youth representatives from cooperatives across the Asia-Pacific region, experts and scholars in digital technology, and faculty and student representatives from our university.
At the InaugurationCeremony, Mr. Adili Wubuli, President of the Board of Supervisors of ACFSMC and Vice President of ICA-AP, delivered a speech on behalf of ACFSMC, welcoming youth representatives from cooperatives of various countries. He noted that this series of exchange activities under the Asia-Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit, focusing on artificial intelligence and the digital economy, is timely and of profound significance. He expressed his hope that cooperative youth would anchor their efforts in the actual development needs of cooperatives in the digital era, making AI more accessible and effective; prioritize education and training to help digital technologies take root and benefit all members; promote exchanges and mutual learning to build synergy and share development gains through regional cooperation; and uphold ethical norms to ensure that intelligent technologies are safe, controllable, and sustainable.
Mr. Zhu Hongfei, Second-Level Inspector of the Department of Education of Zhejiang Province, attended the opening ceremony and, on behalf of the Department, extended congratulations on the successful launch of the event. He pointed out that young people are the builders of the digital age, the disseminators of cooperative values, and the inheritors of the future of cooperatives. The fact that this event was held in Zhejiang—a pioneer in the digital economy and a hub for AI innovation—not only opens a window for Asia-Pacific cooperative youth to observe digital innovation and common prosperity practices, but also provides an important multilateral dialogue platform for ethical-oriented digital transformation of cooperatives.
Mr. Balasubramanian G Iyer, Regional Director of the ICA Asia-Pacific Office, expressed gratitude to the organizers. In his speech, he emphasized the great significance of this activity, which marks a decade of development for the alliance. Over the past ten years, the themes of the alliance's discussions have evolved, yet its original aspiration remains unchanged: to provide young people in the Asia-Pacific region with opportunities for expression, learning, and experience, as well as a platform for exchanging ideas, collaborative practice, and building cross-regional networks.
Mr. Guo Fuchun, President ofZJIET, delivered a speech on behalf of the co-organizers, welcoming youth representatives from cooperatives in 13 countries as well as Chinese and international guests, and briefly introducedZJIET's educational achievements and talent cultivation outcomes. He noted that this event will effectively pool the collective wisdom of Asia-Pacific cooperative youth, stimulate cross-regional idea exchange and mutual learning, and build broad consensus on empowering ethical AI and the digital economy through cooperative models—leading to a feast of ideas, practical inspiration, and lasting friendships.
Mr. Cong Shan, Director General of the International Cooperation Department of ACFSMC,Mr. Chen Lijiang, Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives,Mr. Pierre Yves Lucas, Team Leader of the Cooperation Section at the EU Delegation to China,Ms. Dulce Bustamante, Chairperson of the ICA-AP Committee on Youth Cooperation (ICYC),Ms. Liu Xiuli, Party Committee Secretary ofZJIET also attended the InaugurationCeremony.
The InaugurationCeremony also featured special segments such as the APCYS Logo Launch, cross-border dialogues, and Chinese cultural performances. Our students presented exquisite and vibrant performances, showcasing the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture through diverse artistic forms, which received high praise from both Chinese and international guests.
The four-day summit included a rich array of programs, such as plenary sessions, capacity-building workshops, policy hack dialogues, Youth Open Mic sessions, the Cooperative Live Pitch competition, visits to tech companies, and green action campaigns.
During the Plenary Jam session on "Future-Ready Cooperatives in the Digital Economy," Mr. Zhang Lei, Director of the Talent Sustainable Development Center of Alibaba Foundation, delivered a keynote speech. In-depth sharing was also provided by Ms. Yuyu Chen, Programme Analyst representing the UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD),Mr. Paulus Ohio, CEO of INKUR,Mr. Ho Wei Liang, Board Member of the Global Youth AI Advisory Board,Ms. Dulce Bustamante, Chairperson of ICYC,and Mr. Song Dongpo, an outstanding alumnus of our university, founder of MiFly Airline Coop in China, and a previous winner of the Asia-Pacific Cooperative Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. They discussed how young people can leverage AI and digital technologies to build sustainable cooperative enterprises.
In the capacity-building segment, participants engaged in sessions on "Digital & AI Toolkit for Cooperatives"and "Start, Scale, Cooperate: The Start-up Journey," which included full-process simulation exercises and group discussions.
During the Coop Live Pitch competition, after more than two months of competition, 10 teams stood out from over 30 projects to reach the finals and presented their project outcomes on stage. Ultimately, the team from Palestine won first place. The alumni entrepreneurial project guided by our faculty—Hangzhou Chongxing E-commerce Co., Ltd.'s "Beihai Shijin" (Treasure Hunt from Shells) project—won second place and a prize fund, thanks to its solid project design and practical vision.
In the Go Green Campaign segment, attending leaders and Chinese and international guests jointly planted crape myrtle trees symbolizing "green and friendship," demonstrating their commitment to sustainable development through tangible action.
During the event, participants visited Alibaba, iFLYTEK, and a local cooperative for field visits. They gained firsthand exposure to the innovative achievements of leading domestic digital technology companies and deep insights into cutting-edge AI application scenarios, accumulating valuable experience for the digital and intelligent transformation of cooperatives.
At the Closing Ceremony, Mr. Balasubramanian G Iyer delivered a vote of thanks, highly affirming the outcomes and industry value of the event. Mr. Cong Shan and Ms. Liu Xiuli spoke on behalf of the co-organizers, reviewing the highlights and fruitful results of the exchange activity, expressing sincere gratitude to the expert mentors for their guidance, to all participants for their active involvement, and to the staff for their hard work, and announcing the list of competition winners. The closing ceremony concluded with a wonderful performance byZJIET student band, bringing this cross-border youth exchange event to a warm and successful close with youthful melodies.
The successful hosting of the Asia-Pacific Cooperative Youth Summit (APCYS) 5.0 represents an important step inZJIET's commitment to deepening the internationalization of vocational education and expanding external exchanges in the cooperative sector. It has effectively enhanced theinternational profile and industry reputation, and further consolidated its foundation for international cooperation in cooperative development, digital economy innovation, and youth entrepreneurship and innovation cultivation.
Looking ahead,ZJIET will take this event as an opportunity to continue deepening international people-to-people exchanges andcollege-industry collaboration. Rooted in the characteristics of vocational education and nurturing both patriotic sentiments and a global perspective, we aim to build a regular platform for mutual learning and collaborative development between Chinese and international youth, strengthen the cooperative synergy of Asia-Pacific youth, and continuously empower the high-quality international development of vocational education, injecting a steady stream of youthful energy into global cooperative innovation and development.
