Speakers

Reinhard Bütikofer is a Member of the European Parliament for the German Green Party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen). He is a member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Parliament's rapporteur for an effective raw materials strategy for Europe. He also sits on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence. He is a member of the Delegation for Relations with the United States and a substitute member of the Delegation for Relations with China. Mr. Bütikofer is a vice president and the treasurer of his political group (The Greens/European Free Alliance) and speaker of the German Green Party's delegation to the European Parliament. Prior to his election to the EP, Mr. Bütikofer was national party chairman of the German Green Party from 2002 to 2008.

Dr. Mo Fan, male, was born in Heilongjiang Province China, in June 1961, Senior Engineer, Chairman of Shanghai YOUDE Energy-saving Technology Development Co., Ltd. He served as the engineer of the China Building Materials Industry Planning and Design Institute, and was director of foreign affairs of the China International Engineering Consulting Corporation, and was the visiting fellow of German Fraunhofer Institute of Physics, first secretary of the Chinese Embassy in Germany, and deputy director of the National Maglev Transportation Engineering Technology R&D Center.

He has been engaged in plant design, project evaluation, green building, macroeconomic research, the Shanghai Maglev Demonstration Line construction and Maglev Transportation Technology development. He is currently working on a lightweight and composite materials technology services, and evaluation of rail transit project consulting services.

Heiner Flassbeck has served since 2006 as Director of the Division on Globalization and Development Strategies of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. He is the principal author and the leader of the team preparing UNCTAD's Trade and Development Report. The Trade and Development Report is the flagship annual publication of UNCTAD covering both recent and longer term issues in the world economy, with particular emphasis on the implications for developing countries.

Mr. Flassbeck is a member of international forums dealing with prospective development issues or with burning topics facing the world economy. He is a member of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress and he participates in "The Shadow GN" meetings (chaired by Professor Joseph Stiglitz). He is the author of numerous books and articles on macroeconomic issues, in particular on the current financial crisis and its impact on the real economy. Prior to joining UNCTAD, Mr. Flassbeck worked with the German Council of Economic Experts, the Federal Ministry of Economics, the German Institute for Economic Research and the Federal Ministry of Finance as Deputy Minister responsible for international affairs, the European Union and IMF.

Mr. Wan Gang went to work in the rural area of Yanbian Prefecture, Jilin Province as an educated youth in 1969. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from Northeast Forestry University in 1978, after which he joined its faculty. From 1979 to 1981, he was a postgraduate in experimental mechanics at Structural Theories Research Institute of Tongji University, where he got his master's degree in 1981 and served as a faculty member from 1981 to 1985. Between 1985 and 1991, he studied and obtained a doctorate (Dr. Ing.) at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University Clausthal of Germany. From 1991 to 2001, he worked in German Audi Corporation. Since January 2001 he held several senior positions at Tongji University, China, including among others Dean of New Energy Automobile Engineering Center. In July 2004 he became President of Tongji University (Vice Minister level). In December 2006, he became Vice Chairman of China Zhi Gong Party and was elected as Chairman in December 2007. In April 2007, he was appointed as Minister of Science and Technology. From 2003, he served as member of the National Committee and the Standing Committee of the 10th CPPCC. In March 2008, he was elected Vice Chairman of the 11th CPPCC. Minister Wan is in charge of the overall administrative affairs. He oversees the Department of Development Planning and National Major Special Project Office.

Mr. Yan Heming was born in April 1942 in Jiangsu Province. He graduated from university with a graduate degree. Starting from Oct. 1962, he worked in the State Administration of Materials and the Ministry of Materials. He was transferred to China Shiprecycling Company in August 1985 and worked as Division Head up to Deputy General Manager until September 1994. Mr. Yan became General Manager of Chinese Medicinal Materials Corporation and China Shiprecycling Company in 1994 and was appointed as Inspector to China Huaxing Group. He took office as Chairman of China National Shiprecycling Association (CNSA) in 2002 and turned Honorary Chairman of CNSA in December 2011. As a senior expert in the shiprecycling industry with a rich leadership experience, Mr Yan Heming has made significant contributions in promoting “green recycling” concepts, rallying state policy support, strengthening international shiprecycling cooperation as well as developing China’s renewable energy industry and recycling economy.

Dr. Li's hometown is Taiyuan, China. He graduated from the German Department of Beijing Foreign Studies University with a Master's degree in 1985, and continued his studies at the Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Germany, obtaining his Doctorate degree in 1991. He subsequently held posts as a Lecturer & Assistant Professor at several universities in Germany and the USA. He joined Daimler AG in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1997, with the position of Manager and then Senior Manager in the External Affairs Department. Since 2003 he has served as the Executive Vice President of Daimler North East Asia Ltd. taking charge of Corporate Affairs.

Li Ruge is Chief Financial Officer of State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC). He is also the Vice Chairman of China Huaxia Bank. Previous to his current position, he hold positions as factory manager at Shandong ZHANHUA Electricity Industry Corporation, Director of Shandong Electric Power Company´s Fuel and Finance Division, Vice President of Shandong Electric Power Company, Chairman of Ying Da International Trust Fund Investment, Deputy CFO of China Guodian Corporation, and Deputy CFO of SGCC. Li graduated with a M.A. degree from Nankai University. He is also a senior certified accountant.

Olaf Scholz was born in Osnabrück in 1958 and graduated from the Hamburg University with a degree in law. In 1975 he joined the Social Democratic Party (SPD) where he has held several senior positions including Deputy Chairman of the party’s youth organization and Secretary General of the party (2002-2004). Currently he is Vice Chairman of the German SPD and Chairman of the Hamburg SPD. He was Member of the German Bundestag (1998-2001, 2002-2011) holding senior positions in the SPD parliamentary group and Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs (2007-2009). In 2001 he served as Hamburg’s Minister of the Interior. Since 2011 Olaf Scholz is the First Mayor and President of the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.

Dr. Theo Sommer pursued his academic studies in history, political science, and international relations at the University of Tübingen; Manchester College; and the University of Chicago. In 1958, he started his career at DIE ZEIT. In 1969/1970, Sommer was called upon to set up and head the Policy Planning Staff of the German Defence Ministry. From 1972 to 1992, he served as Editor-in-Chief of DIE ZEIT and afterwards joined Marion Countess Dönhoff and former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt as one of the paper’s co-publishers. In the 1990s, he acted as Vice-Chairman of the commission on “Common Security and the Future of the German Army”, was a member of the International Commission on the Balkans, and the Independent International Commission on Kosovo. In addition to his current appointment, Sommer is dean, moderator and academic head of the Bucerius Summer School in Hamburg. He was president of the German society for Asian studies and is a member of the German-Japanese Forum, the German-Korean Forum and the Indo-German Advisory Group. In 1979 he published a book on the rise of China (Die chinesische Karte).

Dr. Monika Stärk currently is Secretary General of the German Chinese Dialogue Forum, assisting in this position the German Chairman Prof. Bruno O. Braun, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TÜV Rheinland AG. The German Chinese Dialogue Forum is a high-ranking bilateral advisory group initiated by the governments of both countries and composed of relevant personalities from business, politics, media and civil society to openly discuss issues of mutual interest. Dr. Stärk has been an expert on German-Chinese economic relations and the Asia-Pacific region since 2000, when she started working for the OAV – German Asia-Pacific Business Association. She was Executive Member of the Board of this business association from 2003 to 2010 and by virtue of this office Managing Director of the APA – Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business. In this position, she has been working both on economic analysis of the Asia-Pacific region and on practical advice to German companies active in the region. Prior to joining OAV, Dr. Stärk has worked in publishing and the online media industry. She has completed studies of literature and philosophy in Erlangen and Paris.

Dr. Frank Umbach is Associate Director of the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), King‘s College London; Senior Associate and Head of the Programme “International Energy Security” at the Centre for Euro­pean Security Strategies (CESS) GmbH, Munich-Berlin & Non Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States, Washington D.C. He is an expert on energy, raw material, foreign and security policies with a regional expertise of Asia-Pacific (i.e. China and Japan), Russia, the Caspian Region, and Europe/Transatlantic. Previously, he was head of the programmes „International Energy Security“ and „Security Policies in Asia-Pacific” at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Bonn and Berlin (1996-2007), and worked before at the Federal Institute for East European and International Studies (BIOst) in Cologne, in the office of the NATO-General Secretary in Brussels, and the Japan Institute for International Affairs in Tokyo.

Ms. Xu Weili was born in 1954, and is a senior economist. She is now Chairwoman of Harbin Touping group, member of Harbin Municipal CPPCC committee and member of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Xiangfang District. She also serves as Vice Chairwoman of the Cooperation Committee for Promoting Enterprises, Universities and Research Institutes of Heilongjiang Province, member of the Executive Committee of the Women’s Federation of Heilongjiang Province and Harbin City; Vice President of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Heilongjiang Province and Harbin City; Chairwoman of the Xiangfang District Industrial Association of State Power Generation Equipment Industry Base.
Harbin TouPing group is a comprehensive shareholding corporate enterprise integrating manufacturing of power station equipments, installation engineering of power stations and construction engineering. The group holds the qualifications for manufacturing of level I and II pressure vessels, level II construction engineering, level III Installation engineering of power stations as well as import and export license.

Hakan Wohlin is Managing Director and Global Head of Debt Origination, Capital Markets & Treasury Solutions (CMTS), having joined Deutsche Bank AG in London in 2002. He oversees the origination of debt products for the banks corporate, financial and public sector clients. Hakan Wohlin is a member of the CMTS Executive Committee, and Chairs the CMTS Debt Origination Executive Committee.

Between 1999 and 2002 he was CFO & Executive Vice President of Business & Corporate Development at Corechange, an international software company in New York. Between 1989 and 1999, he worked in various derivatives marketing and capital markets financing roles, primarily at Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc., covering corporations and financial institutions.

He holds a Master’s degree in business from Stockholm University, and undertook postgraduate studies at Harvard University Economics Department.

Mr. Lu Yaohua was born in 1947. Graduated from China University of Mining and Technology, he is now a professorate senior engineer and also a member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Mr. Lu used to work as Deputy Director and later Director of Shanxi Coal Mine Infrastructure Construction Bureau. In 1992, he was transferred to Beijing and worked on a series of posts from Deputy Director of the Infrastructure Construction Bureau of the previous China Coal Mines Corporation, to General Manager, Party Secretary and Chief Engineer of China Coal Construction and Development Corporation, Director General of the Infrastructure Construction Department of the former Ministry of Coal and Director General of Enterprise and Institution Reform Department of State Administration of Coal Industry.

Since 1998, he has served as a State Council Special Inspector, Chairman of the State Council accredited Supervisory Board of Key State-owned Large Enterprises, Executive Vice Chairman of China Federation of Industrial Economics and also Vice Chairman of China Coal Industry Association.

Mr. Huang Yuezhong was born in 1943, in Jiangsu Province. From 1962 to 1968, he studied in the Department of Automatic Control at Tsinghua University. His past work experience ranges from Deputy Director of the former Anhui Economic Commission, Head of the Provincial Military Bureau, Deputy Director of the provincial National Defense Science and Industry Office, the Deputy Director of the Provincial Planning Commission and Director of the Provincial Economic Collaboration Office, Director of the Provincial Planning Commission, Assistant to Vice Governor of Anhui Province, Vice Governor of Anhui Province, Secretary of the Working Committee for Enterprises of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of Provincial SASAC as well as the Deputy Director of the 10th Provincial People's Congress. From December 2007 to January 2008, Mr. Huang was appointed Acting Director of the Anhui Province People's Congress Standing Committee and has been Dean of the Anhui Institute of Business Administration since 1998 with several monograph publications. In February 2012, he was appointed Chairman of Anhui Provincial Federation of Industrial Economics.