Shenzhen’s artificial-intelligence sector is pushing hard to go global, and Russia has become one of the association’s priority outward markets. That is what Zhang Zhehao, deputy secretary general for international relations at the Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Industry Association, told Shenzhen Press Group on 17 August, local time in Kazan, where he attended the fourth “Rostok: Russia and China, Mutually Beneficial Cooperation” international forum.
That afternoon, witnessed by Rustam Minnikhanov, the highest-ranking official of Tatarstan, Zhang signed a memorandum of cooperation with the republic’s Ministry of Information Technology and Digital Development on behalf of the association. The memo focuses multilayered collaboration in large language models and embodied intelligence.
“In artificial intelligence, the two sides are complementary,” Zhang said. Tatarstan has a complete information-technology base, while Shenzhen’s AI strength is outstanding, making cooperation a natural fit. The memo grew out of a contact made when Minnikhanov attended Shenzhen’s high-tech fair in November last year. In April this year, Tatarstan deputy prime minister visited the association to advance the tie, and a delegation from the republic attended the World AI Terminal Exhibition and the seventh Shenzhen International AI Exhibition, deepening the consensus.
The Rostok forum, organised by the Republic of Tatarstan, is a key China-Russia cooperation platform, and this fourth edition was the largest yet. In a media interview on the afternoon of the 17th, Lilia Minullina, head of Tatarstan’s investment development agency, highlighted the memo. “I have been to Shenzhen several times. It is a very beautiful city,” she told Shenzhen Press Group. “I saw not only modern towers and corporate headquarters but a humanoid-robot sensor workshop that was stunning, and demos of AI application scenarios.” She added that Minnikhanov will return to Shenzhen for the high-tech fair in November.
“After further talks, this memo will soon be upgraded into a formal agreement,” Zhang revealed. The cooperation already has a schedule: a Tatarstan delegation will join the association’s annual meeting in December, and next May’s Shenzhen International AI Exhibition will feature a standalone Tatarstan pavilion.
Editor’s note: This is an adapted translation of the original Shenzhen News report. It has been trimmed and restructured for readability for an international business audience.