North Bund Forum kicks off with shipping, aviation discussions

Ti Gong

With the theme of "Green, Intelligent, Resilient Global Shipping & Aviation through Global Partnerships," the 2022 North Bund Forum kicked off in Shanghai on Tuesday.

Officials from China's Ministry of Transport and the Shanghai government and international maritime and civil aviation organizations shared their ideas and opinions on hot topics, such as climate change, renewable energy, challenges faced by global industrial and supply chains under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and innovative technologies, in order to boost the development of the global shipping and aviation industry.

"It is necessary to improve the resilient, intelligent and green development of the shipping and aviation industry, increase efficiency and quality of the industry at home and deepen cooperation with other countries," said Li Xiaopeng, Minister of Transport, during the opening ceremony of the forum, which is in its second edition.

He added that China aims to make greater contributions to promoting global connectivity, ensuring stable and smooth flow of the global logistics supply chain, and boosting global economic recovery.

Deepening the construction of an international shipping center is an important measure to improve the core capability of the city, and will better connect the domestic and international markets, according to Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng.

He suggested that Shanghai further improve its core strength as a port hub of China and a resource allocation center to promote the development of a green, intelligent and resilient shipping system to serve the whole world.

Ti Gong

A series of reports and programs, such as the Outlook on the Development of Smart Ships 2022, the Shanghai International Container Space Trading Platform and "Vision for Port of Shanghai toward 2035" were released during the opening ceremony.

"Green, intelligent and resilient have become the major development trends for the global shipping industry," Zhang Wei, Shanghai's vice mayor, said during the main forum after the opening ceremony. "And it is also the inevitable direction and the only way for Shanghai's shipping industry to develop into a higher level with higher quality."

He said that Shanghai has made many achievements in various areas, and the goal of the city to further upgrade itself into an international shipping center has been clear.

Along with being greener, smarter and more resilient, Shanghai will also focus on the major challenges to the stability and security of the industrial and supply chains worldwide, according to Zhang, who added that the city will also strengthen dialogue and consultation around rules, standards, mechanisms and policies; and promote practical cooperation in market development, technological innovation, personnel training and other aspects.

Shanghai now has a world-leading international container hub port and leading airport service in Asia. It is also the first mainland city in China to establish "the multi-airport system."

By the end of 2021, the Pudong and Hongqiao international airports had a total of four terminals, five cargo areas and seven runways, with the total annual passenger handling capacity of 170 million and the cargo handling capacity topping 6.9 million tons in long-term design.

In addition, the city's container throughput has been ranked first in the world for 12 consecutive years. Last year's container throughput was 47.03 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), according to the local transportation commissions.

The city is also looking to improve its cargo collection, develop an intelligent port as well as upgrade and transform into a green port.

The forum will run through Thursday with two parallel forums and six special forums.

The debut North Bund Forum was held on November 3-5 last year, when President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter for its grand opening.

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