It is right about the time for us to forge ahead! On the evening of January 16, 2020, the 17^th Zhejiang Merchants of The Year awarding ceremony, also known as “the Academy Award” of Zhejiang economic circle, was grandly held by the bank of Qiantang river in Hangzhou. Chairman Chen Xuehua of the group, attended the awarding ceremony and took the stage to receive the award. Gao Xingfu, Vice Governor of Zhejiang Provincial Government,presented the award to Chairman Chen Xuehua.

The organizing committee’s awarding announcement for Chairman Chen Xuehua was:

Born as a grass root, from a bean sprout vendor, to the king of cobalt industry in Africa, he had a narrow escape from death. It is his self-improvement which made him excellent. His experience interprets the spirit of Zhejiang businessman in the new era. Run with the dream, business will be everlasting.

Chen Xuehua delivered his acceptance speech as: It is because Jiaxing has no resources that we have to go out and explore. Cobalt is a minor metal, but cobalt can make big article. I said at the beginning of my business:”Wherever there is cobalt, where Huayou will be.” By now, we made it. Huayou happened to develop in the right time and the right industry which is new energy vehicle power battery materials, it is a huge market. Huayou hopes to be the leader of this industry in 10 year. “Fight for 10 years, leading in two industries.” Huayou will maintain the leading position in cobalt industry and the new energy Li-ion battery materials industry, now what we are doing now is get ourselves ready for the leading position. Looking forward to 2020, Huayou will continue to unswervingly take the road of transformation and upgrading on the basis of the previous two years, and make great stride towards the vision of becoming a global leader in the new energy Li-ion battery materials. 

The grand awarding ceremony with the theme of “composing a new legend in the new era of struggle” represents the recognition of the outstanding spirit of Zhejiang businessmen in the past year, and the beginning of the new journey of Zhejiang Businessmen in 2019. It is also another ceremony for the spirit of Zhejiang Businessmen to be passed on from one generation to another. All the Zhejiang Businessmen nominated, are all the stage leaaders of Zhejiang Economy in the year. Along the road of struggle, these businessmen always adhere to the original intention of Zhejiang Business representatives, define for the world the new spirit of Zhejiang Businessmen, and lay the foundation for the new future, nut also Zhejiang and China’s economic transformation and upgrading innovation and development practitioners.

The past is the prologue. Looking back to 2019, under the leadership of Chairman Chen Xuehua, Huayou Cobalt has made progress in overcoming difficulties, focusing on the three tasks and improving its business capacity, achieved good business performance,  maintained strong development monmentum, and created conditions for realing the goals of the 13^th five-year plan. In 2019, Huayou ranked 359^th among China’s top 500 private enterprises in manufacturing (up 66 from the previous year), and was selected as one of the top 20 local private multinationals in Zhejiang Province (2017-2019). In the past year, a large number of projects in and abroad have been in full swing and achieved phased results. Moving toward the “Belt and Road” direction, Huayou built a nickel resource base in Indonesia, and expanded new space for transformation and upgrading. Huayou has further consolidated its leading position in the world cobalt new material industry and has taken another key step towards its vision of becoming a global leader in new energy Li-ion battery materials.

Looking into the future, the road ahead is long. Under the leadership of Chairman Chen Xuehua, all Huayou employees will never forget the original intention, keep the mission in mind, seize the moment, forge ahead, firm the established strategic guidance, and do a good job in the “13^th five-year plan”, plan for the “14^th five-year plan”, make great leap forward in the journey of transformation and upgrading and the second undertaking.