On June 26, the 2022 graduation ceremony was successfully held online.

Peng Mingshan, an undergraduate from the 1981 Industrial Management program, a graduate from the 1986 Industrial Management postgraduate program, and Global Executive Vice President of Aston Martin Lagonda, delivered a speech as an alumni representative at the ceremony.

In his address, Peng Mingshan noted that over his three-decade career in China’s automotive industry, the sector has achieved leapfrog development from nothing to something, and from following to leading. This exemplifies China’s manufacturing industry’s resolute reform, continuous breakthroughs in innovation capabilities, and gradual realization of self-reliant and controllable industrial chains.

Peng Mingshan also shared his privilege of witnessing and participating in this process. He emphasized that the future development of China’s automotive industry, and even the advancement of China’s innovation capabilities, relies on the efforts of the young people present. Stressing the close interconnection between individual struggles, industry growth, and the nation’s destiny, he encouraged graduates to identify their life goals, seize the opportunities of the era, and actively promote social progress and national development while achieving personal growth.

The full text of the speech is as follows:

Dear President Gu, distinguished leaders, teachers, and classmates,

Good afternoon!

It is a great honor that after all these years, I have the opportunity to return to my alma mater today and share insights with the class of 2022. First, let me briefly introduce myself.

I enrolled in the School of Economics and Management at Tongji University in 1981, majoring in Industrial Management. I stayed on as a graduate student in 1986 and then went to Germany to continue my studies. In 1993, I joined the BMW Group and worked overseas until 2008, when I returned to China to participate in the establishment of Porsche China. For the past seven years, I have been serving the British automotive brand Aston Martin Lagonda.

Like many Tongji alumni engaged in the automotive industry, over the past nearly 30 years, I have been fortunate to witness and participate in the journey of China’s automotive industry from non-existence to existence, from weakness to strength, and from following to leading. I have also witnessed the transformation of China’s domestic automotive industry: from “trading market for technology” to improving industrial chains, increasing localization rates, and then evolving from a large automotive manufacturing nation to a powerful one.

During this period, both the relative innovation capabilities and industry discourse power between China’s automotive industry and its European and American counterparts, as well as the relationship between individuals and collectives, have undergone changes. Today, I would like to share my thoughts on these two topics with you, hoping to inspire you.

Undoubtedly, China’s automotive industry, including the entire industrial system, has undergone earth-shaking changes over the past few decades. In 1984, when I was a senior undergraduate, Shanghai Volkswagen’s first domestically produced Santana rolled off the production line. After 20 years of development, China has become the world’s largest producer and seller of automobiles.

Moreover, under the proposals of visionary scholars and experts represented by our former President Wan Gang, a series of forward-looking policies (which appear highly prescient today) were formulated. These policies effectively helped the domestic automotive industry survive the critical period of technological and capital primitive accumulation, while also cultivating a large number of outstanding talents. As a result, China now possesses the world’s most complete intelligent electric vehicle industrial chain, the largest market and user base, and leading innovation and R&D capabilities.

It was precisely the clear understanding of the historical and current status of China’s automotive industry by these pioneers, their profound grasp of the technical roadmap for electric vehicle products, and their comprehensive summation of the experiences and lessons from international leading electric vehicle explorers that led to these remarkable ideas which seem so visionary today. These ideas have enabled China’s automotive industry to gain a voice in global manufacturing and positioned the country at the forefront of numerous subfields in intelligent electric vehicles.

The question of where China’s automotive industry will go from here, and how to make our country a true global power in R&D, production, and markets, lies in the hands of today’s graduates stepping into society. A humble mindset, clear-headed thinking, broad vision, and a pragmatic attitude remain indispensable. The world is not a simple matter of who overpowers whom; only by striving to understand the inherent differences and needs of diverse cultures and markets on the basis of mutual respect can we truly lead China’s innovation onto the global stage.

Next is the relationship between the individual and the collective. In the past, we were always accustomed to identifying ourselves with a collective—whether it be the country, the school, the company and brand, or a research project team. Here, I am deeply grateful to Professor Zhai Lilin, the first Dean of our School, Dean Shen Rongfang, and other teachers for their careful guidance in my academic studies and life development during my time as a student and staff member at my alma mater. Over the past 30 years, the several brands I have served have achieved rapid business growth in China, providing my generation with a good platform to realize our career aspirations.

However, for today’s graduates entering society, joining a stable and growth-oriented enterprise to share in the dividends of its development may be a beautiful aspiration. With the transformation of China’s economic development stage and growth mode—shifting from extensive to intensive development—while conventional enterprises still have an optimistic outlook, they may struggle to provide sufficient employment opportunities and upward mobility for all young people. Students may need to clarify their interests and expertise, develop themselves in decentralized organizations, become specialists in a specific niche field, and then collaborate with other expert teams to innovate and start businesses, fulfilling larger missions.

This is a situation my generation has never faced, posing both challenges and opportunities for you. This path can only be explored through practice, and I believe every generation has its own challenges at different times. I can imagine that in 20 or 30 years, you will also share your insights with future students in a similar way.

Finally, I wish the class of 2022 can seize their own opportunities in the complex and changing practices, and while continuously developing individually, maintain the conscience of an intellectual, promote social fairness and justice, enhance people’s well-being, and write a new chapter for the School of Economics and Management at Tongji University with their personal brilliance! Thank you!