The World Advanced Manufacturing Conference is held in Jinan from Oct 31 to Nov 3. [Photo/iqilu.com]

The World Advanced Manufacturing Conference was held in Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province, from Oct 31 to Nov 3.

The conference is hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Shandong Provincial People's Government.

Experts, scholars, and entrepreneurs from the fields of new materials and high-end equipment shared views on the development opportunities and challenges in the advanced manufacturing industry at the opening ceremony on Nov 1.

The event consists of a main forum, an international exchange conference, an expert closed-door meeting, a summit forum, an investment roadshow, and an achievement exhibition.

The conference announced the Jinan Initiative of World Advanced Manufacturing Conference.

It stated that advanced manufacturing is the leading force in the world's economic development and that innovation is the first driving force for the development of the advanced manufacturing industry.