“As competition is fierce in the battery field, it is very difficult to share core technologies, but I believe there is still room for cooperation and joint development on certain issues, including verification.”
Professor Kim Jong-myeong of Shanghai University of Science and Technology, China, announced this in his presentation on 'Korea-China Science and Technology Cooperation and Industrial Innovation - Development and Cooperation Prospects of Secondary Battery Technology' at the 'Korea-China Science and Technology Innovation and Development Forum' held at the Shanghai National Exhibition and Convention Center on the 7th (local time).
The assessment is that even if the entire core technology is not shared, cooperation can be done focusing on specific industrialization issues and measurable results.
Professor Kim cited the LFP cathode material business between POSCO Future M and the Chinese company CNGR (Zhongwei) as an example and explained, “An investment contract was signed to build a factory dedicated to LFP cathode materials in Pohang at the end of last year. The factory is under construction and we are pursuing mass production next year.”
He also mentioned the joint development agreement for sodium ion battery materials signed between LG Chem and China's Sinopec at the end of October last year and said, "I have not yet seen an announcement that it has led to a specific project, but I think it is meaningful that the two leading companies from both countries have decided to agree."
Professor Kim emphasized, “Batteries are no longer viewed as a single component for cell phones or electric vehicles,” and “They should be viewed as one large infrastructure that connects the power grid, mobility, and industrial ecosystem.”
He went on to say, “The use of secondary batteries is rapidly spreading in the industry,” and introduced that there was a case where a robot equipped with batteries from China’s CATL (Ningders Die) was put into CATL’s battery production line.
He said, "When batteries are applied in a variety of ways, there are different requirements for each, and new battery technology systems that respond to them need to continue to be developed. I think that will be an area where cooperation will be easy."
He also evaluated, "Recently, in China, CATL is producing sodium-ion batteries and expanding their application, but verification of lifespan, safety, and economic feasibility is insufficient. These areas are also possible points of contact for cooperation."
Professor Kim Eun-yu of Duke University of Kunshan gave a presentation on 'Opening the future of biotechnology together: Opportunities and possibilities of Korea-China cooperation' and explained what companies should pay attention to when engaging in cooperation in the bio fields such as food, clean energy, and new drugs.
Regarding obstacles in the Korea-China cooperation process, Professor Kim mentioned the local approval schedule and pointed out that in the case of Samyang Group's sweetener allulose, it took three years from application to approval from China in September of last year.
Regarding the sustainability of competition and development, he said, "In the case of Hanmi Pharmaceutical and Xilab, cooperation progressed well, but there was a case where cooperation was discontinued due to difficulties in recruiting clinical patients due to the spread of competing drugs (in the Chinese market)."
Professor Kim emphasized that prior preparation is necessary when cooperating between Korean and Chinese companies, adding, "It is important to point out and appeal to Chinese partners exactly what areas they would like to cooperate with. Also, the differentiation of technology and the accurate basis for it are really important."
He went on to say that the scope of cooperation needs to be made clear, adding, "Many people think that since they decided to produce (a Chinese company), the next step will go naturally, but the reality is that this is not the case. We need to thoroughly coordinate cooperation in the preliminary stage."
The forum on this day was held at the venue of the 9th China International Import Expo, which is being held by China with the aim of opening the market and expanding imports.
About 210 Korean companies, including large companies such as Samsung Electronics as well as small and medium-sized companies, participated in this import expo, and exhibition spaces were prepared by the Korea International Trade Association, Small and Medium Venture Business Corporation, Global Innovation Center (KIC China), and Songhan Science and Technology Innovation Center.
Kim Jong-moon, head of KIC China Center, said of the exhibition booth, "It is a good platform for Korean innovative companies to advance into China and seek cooperation opportunities," and added, "We will continue to ensure that Korea-China science, technology and business exchanges lead to practical results."
Kim Jae-hyuk, general manager of the Songhan Science and Technology Innovation Center, added, "We wanted to provide a venue for practical exchange to promote Korea-China technological cooperation, industrial convergence, investment attraction, and business cooperation beyond simple product promotion or company introduction."
