CITH · WUXI · GLOBAL TALENT
Xishan Meets Paris: Where Technology, Culture and Creativity Connect
At STATION F in Paris, Xishan met government, industry, university, research and innovation partners from France and Europe, creating new possibilities across technology, culture and global talent.
Published: 2026-08-17
- Event: XISHAN MEETS PARIS
- Date: 2026-08-07
- Location: STATION F, Paris, France
- 7 August 2026 · STATION F, Paris
- Nearly 30 government, industry, research and innovation guests
- Xishan Meets Paris · Technology Meets Culture and Creativity
- Talent exchange and OPC cooperation between Xishan and AJTIS
- Sifra Energy and Tekkito join EAST+ OPC
- Blue Whale Residency season two global call launched
- A continuing innovation network between Wuxi and Europe
Meeting Paris at STATION F
How can innovation cross regional, industrial and cultural boundaries to find a place where it can grow? On 7 August, XISHAN MEETS PARIS took place at STATION F in Paris.
The event was co-hosted by the Yangtze River Delta (Wuxi) International Talent Hub and AJTIS, guided by Xidong New City and the Wuxi Cuiping Mountain Tourism Resort administration, with support from EAST+ OPC International Innovation Community. Nearly 30 guests from Chinese and European government, industry, research and innovation communities joined the exchange.
Why STATION F
Paris offers many meeting rooms. The goal here was to meet Paris inside STATION F. Formerly the Halle Freyssinet railway freight station built in 1927, the site became a global startup campus in 2017.
Its value is not only scale. Founders, companies, universities, investors and innovation projects share one space, allowing technology, industry and different disciplines to connect in real life. Technology Meets Culture and Creativity is both the theme and the reason for being there.
From Xishan to Paris
Talent Hub operations lead Lu Li introduced Wuxi, Xishan and the international innovation network taking shape around the Hub. Wuxi combines Taihu Lake, canals and Jiangnan culture with strong sectors including electric mobility, AI and semiconductors, biomedicine, new energy and new materials.
The Hub opens these resources to global innovators while helping local projects reach global markets. Through EAST+ OPC, industry connections and research platforms, research outcomes, ventures and real industrial demand can meet inside one ecosystem.
From exchange to cooperation
The gathering produced concrete next steps. Xishan and AJTIS signed a memorandum covering talent exchange and OPC cooperation, with further work planned across international talent, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Sifra Energy and Tekkito, two Paris-based projects from the first Blue Whale Residency season, also joined EAST+ OPC, creating a longer-term connection with Wuxi.
Blue Whale Residency season two begins
The second Blue Whale Residency global call launched at STATION F. The program remains open to overseas universities, research institutions, innovation companies and young founders, inviting teams to enter Wuxi’s companies, industrial scenarios and city life.
Cici, a blue whale IP character created for the program, travels across cities and innovation scenes in search of early-stage teams with real potential.
People who cross boundaries
The room brought together founders, industry representatives and young researchers active in European innovation. AJTIS president Wang Xiaoxun shared the French youth technology ecosystem. Sifra Energy founder and CEO Xuelu Wang discussed the path from electrical-engineering research to entrepreneurship across batteries and AI. Tekkito founder Rémi Papon brought the conversation to language, business culture, brand expression and market rules in Europe.
Huawei France communications director Charles Catherinot described how an international work experience changed his career. WeWatt and WeSG founder and CEO Patricia Ceysens described moving from encouraging entrepreneurship to becoming a founder herself. The stories shared one idea: new opportunities often begin when someone crosses an old boundary.
Mobilians’ Moove Lab team and RTL AdAlliance’s Ana Alves extended the discussion to mobility acceleration and international brand communication—how technology enters industry, how companies understand new markets and how people from different cultures build durable relationships.
People need to venture out. So does innovation.
Choosing Paris—an international city where art, people and multiple cultures meet—and choosing STATION F, where sharing, creation and everyday life intersect, expresses a particular understanding of innovation. Technology needs laboratories, industry and capital, but many opportunities that change a person, a company or a technology also begin with conversation.
Entering an unfamiliar city, understanding a different culture and sitting down with someone you would not otherwise meet creates room for possibilities that were never planned.
That is true in Paris. We hope these encounters continue in Wuxi and across the world.