On October 22nd, the 2024 North Bund International Shipping Forum kicked off in Shanghai’s World Reception Hall, themed “Digital, Intelligent, Green – Building a New Global Shipping Ecosystem Together.”
Shanghai Communist Party Secretary Chen Jining attended the opening ceremony, officially launching the forum. Liu Wei, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Ministry of Transport, and Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng delivered speeches, representing both the Ministry of Transport and the Shanghai municipal government in signing a Memorandum of Cooperation aimed at establishing a globally leading international shipping center.
According to the memorandum, the Ministry of Transport and the Shanghai municipal government will collaborate on building a global shipping hub, enhancing Shanghai’s shipping service capabilities, promoting green, intelligent, and safe development, increasing the international influence of Shanghai’s shipping center, and establishing a mechanism for coordination between the ministry and the city.
Liu Wei emphasized that China has developed into a global leader in shipping capacity, boasting the largest shipping facilities, highest volume of maritime cargo, and a fleet ranked among the world’s top. He noted that the country has significant advantages, including a vast market scale, diverse technological applications, and a complete industry chain. Currently, a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation is rapidly unfolding, with emerging technologies and business models, such as digital economy and artificial intelligence, becoming critical supports for socio-economic development. The levels of digitization, intelligence, and greening in shipping are continuously improving.
Mayor Gong Zheng highlighted that as Shanghai embarks on the new journey of Chinese modernization, the city will focus on enhancing the global allocation capabilities of shipping resources. He emphasized the need to refine port, airport, cruise terminal, and transportation systems, accelerate the amelioration of high-end shipping services, and facilitate the digital, intelligent, and green transformation of the shipping industry. The goal is to cultivate high-end shipping service clusters, innovation hubs for smart shipping, and green shipping development zones, ultimately driving a significant leap in the capabilities of Shanghai’s international shipping center.
During the opening event, representatives from leading global maritime and air freight enterprises and institutions announced over ten recent achievements related to technological innovation and open cooperation. These included initiatives like the China-Europe Green Shipping Cooperation, which involves the construction of a green shipping corridor between Shanghai and Hamburg, and the establishment of an international air freight hub in Shanghai by FedEx to serve as an intercontinental transit center.
