2nd Global Alumni Summit & Expo 2023 – Summer Edition Concludes Successfully

Recently, the 2nd Global Alumni Summit and Expo – Summer Conference 2023 was successfully held at the Hilton Hotel in Markham, Toronto, Canada. The event was hosted by the Global Alumni Summit Canada Committee and co-organized by the Toronto Liaison Office of the Beijing Zhongguancun Technology Park Administration. On August 29, the organizing committee announced the successful completion of the conference agenda, marking significant achievements across all sessions.

From left to right: Guangli Wang, Jie Yang, Xiwang Zhang, Ruixiang Sun, Bo Sun, Zhilai Zhang, Jin Pang, Liming Dong, Guoyan Huang, Dawei Yuan, Haijun Yang, Rong Chen

This summer conference followed the successful online Global ChatGPT Literature Symposium held in Toronto in March.

Attendees included special guests, speakers, scholars, writers, scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, association leaders, journalists, and representatives from various sectors. Notable participants included Zhilai Zhang (Chairman, Global Alumni Summit Canada Committee), Guangli Wang (Director, Beijing Zhongguancun Technology Park Toronto Office), Felix Wong (CMC Markets Canada), Peggy Pan (IIROC-Licensed Investment Advisor, CIBC Wood Gundy), Margaret Zhang (Allstate Insurance Canada), Liming Dong (Co-Chair, Global Alumni Summit Canada Committee), Bo Sun (President, Chinese PEN Canada), Haijun Yang (President, Canadian University Literary Society), Youzhi Tang (Renowned Environmental Scientist), Jin Pang (President, International Dragon and Phoenix Society; Member, China Writers Association), Ruixiang Sun (Former Dean, School of Journalism and Communication, Tianjin Normal University), Xiwang Zhang (President, North American Cultural Development Association), Yingli Zhang (Director of Finance, Management and Planning, Toronto Metropolitan University), Dawei Yuan (Secretary-General, Global Alumni Summit Canada Committee), Liangjian Peng (President, Hunan Chamber of Commerce & Hunan University Alumni Association, Toronto), Zhijun Zhou (President, Shaanxi Association of Canada), Maokun Gong (President, Chang’an University Alumni Association of Canada), Chengzhang Yu (President, Canadian He Feng Association), Rong Chen (Media Director, Global Alumni Summit Canada Committee; President, Chongqing Normal University Alumni Association of Canada), Guoyan Huang (Membership Director, Global Alumni Summit Canada Committee; Vice President, Qingdao University Alumni Association Toronto), Judy Fu (Executive President, Anhui University Alumni Association of Canada), Sheng Zhang (Vice President, He Feng Association), Jianhong Guan (Secretary-General, He Feng Association), Wei Hua (Chairman, Longbow Angel Fund Canada), Monica Wang (Director of External Relations, Global Alumni Summit Canada Committee; International Study & Immigration Advisor, Brock University; Vice President, Southwest University Alumni Association of Canada), Zude Zhao (Renowned Photographer), Pingyuan Geng (General Manager, Meilian Real Estate), Qing Wang (Shaanxi Normal University Alumni Association of Canada), Molly (Representative, Shaanxi Association of Canada), Mary Guan (Dapeng Real Estate), Brian Su, among other registered participants.

The conference was hosted by Jie Yang, Director of Public Relations for the Global Alumni Summit Canada Committee and Vice President of the Shaanxi Normal University Alumni Association of Canada.

Jie Yang

Zhilai Zhang

The conference was held in two sessions—morning and afternoon—covering topics such as fintech, artificial intelligence, technology parks, wealth management, property insurance, higher education, international study and immigration, as well as culture and the arts. A highlight of the event was the book launch of The First Global ChatGPT Literature Anthology (2023), accompanied by a meet-and-greet between authors, editors, and readers.

The morning business session took place from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., featuring a keynote presentation by Mr. Felix Wong from CMC Markets, a renowned UK-listed financial services company. Mr. Wong introduced the company’s development history, core products, trading platforms, technological innovations, and its global business footprint. His presentation offered attendees a comprehensive understanding of CMC Markets’ strengths and future potential. To better serve clients, the company also announced a set of special promotional offers during the session. Mr. Wong’s professional insights were met with wide acclaim from the audience.

FELIX WONG

The afternoon session of the conference ran from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. After announcing the start of the session, host Jie Yang introduced the conference overview, agenda, attending guests, and all scheduled speakers.

Zhilai Zhang, Chairman of the Global Alumni Summit Canada Committee, delivered the welcome address on behalf of the organizing committee. He expressed his gratitude to the speakers for their thorough preparation and extended a warm welcome to all attendees, wishing them a productive and rewarding experience.

Following this, Guangli Wang, Director of the Beijing Zhongguancun Technology Park Liaison Office in Toronto, also addressed the audience. He congratulated the organizers on the successful opening of the event and gave a detailed introduction to the development of Zhongguancun, its latest advancements, and the most recent policies supporting innovation and entrepreneurship within the park.

Guangli Wang

During several keynote sessions, Peggy Pan, Senior Investment Advisor at CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce), delivered a presentation on wealth management. She provided an analysis of the current economic landscape in Canada and globally, as well as projected interest rate trends.

Peggy introduced the CIBC wealth management process, emphasized the importance of strategic financial planning, and identified key demographics that can benefit from such services. As an experienced professional in investment management, she encouraged attendees to plan ahead and take proactive steps to safeguard and grow their hard-earned wealth.

PEGGY　PAN

Margaret Zhang from Allstate Insurance delivered a presentation on property insurance. She noted that Allstate, founded in 1930, is one of Canada’s most established and reputable insurance providers, with a strong focus on auto and home insurance. The company is committed to excellence in service, striving to exceed industry standards by offering what others do not, and doing better what others already provide.

Margaret, a seasoned professional with many years of experience in the insurance industry, emphasized Allstate’s influential role in the market. She is known for delivering tailored advice and personalized solutions based on each client’s unique needs.

MARGARET ZHANG

In the FinTech and Innovation session, Zhilai Zhang—an international expert in financial derivatives, member of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the National Futures Association—explored the interconnection between financial technology, innovation, regulation, and investment return management. He advised investors to prioritize collaboration with firms that offer robust financial products, operate on leading trading platforms, and are supervised by recognized regulatory bodies. Such partnerships, he emphasized, lay a solid foundation for long-term investment returns. He highlighted CMC Markets Canada, a UK-listed financial company, as a current leader in these areas.

Yingli Zhang, Director of Finance, Management, and Planning at Toronto Metropolitan University, and Monica Wang, Director of External Relations at the Global Alumni Summit Canada Committee and International Study and Immigration Advisor at Brock University, jointly presented on the state of Canadian higher education. Their session covered the impact of ChatGPT on university teaching, the pressure from external institutions on academic systems, shifting values among today’s youth, and key issues related to employment and immigration after graduation.

Youzhi Tang

YINGLI ZHANG

MONICA WANG

Another highlight of the conference was the book launch and author-editor-reader meet-up for The First Global ChatGPT Literature Anthology. Since the Global Alumni Summit held the world’s first ChatGPT Literature Symposium in March, its expert team has achieved several global firsts, giving rise to what is now known as the “Toronto School of AI Literature.”

During the anthology’s compilation, the team conducted extensive testing, translation, analysis, and research, gathering a wealth of firsthand material. They introduced pioneering ideas such as: “AI will be an essential tool for future writers,” and “AI-powered human–machine collaboration may lead to fairer Nobel Prize outcomes in literature, significantly increasing the chances for Chinese writers to win.” These insights brought fresh perspectives and great encouragement to the attendees.

Front row from left to right: Ruixiang Sun, Jin Pang, Bo Sun, Guangli Wang
Back row, first from left: Yingli Zhang, Monica Wang

Bo Sun

Jin Pang

Ruixiang Sun

Liming Dong, Jie Yang

According to the organizers, the editorial team for the world’s first human-AI collaborative publication in the history of Chinese-English literary publishing, The First Global ChatGPT Literature Anthology, includes:
Editor-in-Chief: Zhilai Zhang
Editorial Committee: Jie Yang, Guoyan Huang, Rong Chen, Dawei Yuan
Advisory Committee: Bo Sun, Jin Pang, Ruixiang Sun, Liming Dong, Xiwang Zhang, Guangli Wang, Haijun Yang

In the session on science, technology, and cultural topics, keynote speeches were delivered by renowned scientist Dr. Youzhi Tang and distinguished scholar Mr. Xiwang Zhang. Dr. Tang offered his views on current international hot topics and the latest developments in Canada–China technology cooperation. Mr. Zhang presented several cultural exchange projects he has led in recent years between China and North America.

Xiwang Zhang

Following a series of focused speeches and discussions, all scheduled topics were successfully concluded by 3:30 p.m.
Participants expressed that they would carefully review and follow up on the topics of interest, collaborate with speakers and relevant organizations, and aim to announce their implementation outcomes in the near future.