The Globalisation and Development (GAD) Programme invited International Business General Manager of Zhuhai-based Yunzhou Intelligence Technology Co. Ltd., Mr. Jason Ran Zhang, to meet students and deliver a lecture on October 16, 2019.

The lecture’s title was “The Innovative Application of Unmanned Surface Vessels to Environmental Protection in China and Beyond”. Over the years Mr. Zhang has worked in several environmental management projects in China, taught environmental monitoring, as well as written unmanned boat industry standards for the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection. As International Business General Manager at Yunzhou, he has helped build the brand and expanded Yunzhou’s markets overseas, generating ever-increasing product export sales in more than 20 countries across the world.

Mr. Zhang talks about the design of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and the public-private partnership needed to promote better overall environmental monitoring.

Mr. Zhang also explained in detail the most relevant steps he implemented in the steady expansion of the company’s global business strategy overseas. At the same time, the talk highlighted the crucial role that innovative, research-based private corporations like Yunzhou can play when they cooperate with national, provincial and municipal governments for the achievement of broader societal goals such as environmental preservation and sustainable economic growth.

The large audience listens intently.

Mr. Zhang instructed the large and diverse audience about the basic concepts related to USVs, including design, functioning and utilisation. “We are the first Chinese company operating in research, design and mass production of unmanned surface vessel on such a scale”, he said.

Mr. Zhang talking about the issues surrounding working process of USV

Mr. Zhang provided numerous examples of USV utilisation, such as in a recent lakes’ monitoring project in Wuhan, in the water pollution emergency response to hazardous explosions in Tianjin Port, as well as in the emergency response to an antimony leakage in Gansu province and in the management of a Hong Kong reservoir. Mr. Zhang explained that USVs can also detect hidden illegal sewer pipes and can thus track pollution point sources – as they did in a recent case in Gaogang district, Taizhou City. He said, “we use our USV technology to ultimately realize harmony between humans and nature”.

The audience at this lecture also learned how Mr. Zhang, an engineer by background, successfully developed a career in business management on-the-job, through day-to-day experience. Through ad-hoc branding and intense international outreach activities, the sales of the company has been registering regular annual increases of up to 200%. Yunzhou’s products are now sold to 25 countries in 6 continents.

Mr. Zhang concluded his lecture by saying that “there is indeed no hard business per-se…there is nothing you cannot sell” - as long as the product has a solid purpose it shall have a market. This sounded particularly true and encouraging considering the broad development significance of Yunzhou’s business. The audience was left wanting to hear more and brought on numerous questions for Mr. Zhang at the end of the event.

Dr. Monaco raising questions

Student from International Journalism raising questions

Photo of Dr. Monaco,Mr. Zhang and Helen xi He

Reporter: Helen xi He

Photographer : Yihao Zhou，Yihan Qi，Huaishu Ji，Zuyou Liu, Zengyue Zhou.