(Yicai) June 29 –   A dedicated delegation from the Shanghai International Shipping Centre & North Bund Forum has met with London maritime counterparts on June 27th as the two maritime hubs continue to build the platform for cooperation on a larger scale following the London-Shanghai sister-city partnership in 2009.

In an opening keynote, Li Peng, Counsellor, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the UK, was joined on stage during the London reception by Guy Platten, Secretary General, International Chamber of Shipping and Jos Standerwick, Chief Executive, Maritime London.  Mr. Li told attendees: “We all know that shipping accounts for more than 80% of global trade.  In China and the UK, more than 95% of imports and exports are transported by ships so shipping is the backbone and ‘barometer’ of the global economy.  It is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without the shipping industry.”

Pledging continued economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, Mr. Li’s sentiments were echoed by Zhou Yin, Level 2 Inspector, Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, who said: “London is a world-renowned shipping center with a long history, and many of its practices and experience are something we should learn from. As the largest economic hub in China, Shanghai has always regarded shipping as one of its most important functions, and is accelerating the development toward a world-class international shipping center.”

In agreement was Seatrade Maritime Chairman Emeritus, Chris Hayman, who added: “Over the years, we at Seatrade Maritime have had the opportunity to see at first hand the remarkable growth story of Shanghai and the North Bund as a multi-faceted centre of excellence for maritime services, logistics, technology and ship construction. And, of course, Shanghai continues to hold its position as the world’s busiest container port.”

“Seatrade Maritime, now part of Informa, believes the power of maritime events of this kind to drive the sharing of knowledge and expertise, and in the fostering of new relationships.  And this is why we were so impressed by the establishment of the North Bund Forum, co-organised by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and the Ministry of Transport of the P.R.C.”

“Co-operation is clearly a key to progress and this meeting has been organized to encourage the move towards even greater cooperation between the two major maritime centres.”

On the theme of cooperation, Jos Standwick spoke on behalf of Maritime London members and added: “Our industry is an exemplar of the power of globalized business, working in partnership to achieve our shared goals. In an industry where we are now only 6 years away from the 2030 deadline to reduce CO2 front ships by at least 40%, we are managing the commercial effects of existing international and regional decarbonisation, legislation and the increasingly unpredictable weather disrupting global trading patterns or the fractious geopolitical environment we are in.

“Never has the role of leading shipping clusters and our ability to work seamlessly across borders been more important.”

Emphasising the route to green shipping, Guy Platten gave a rallying cry to the room and said: “To reach the IMO climate targets for shipping to reach by 2050, there needs to be a holistic approach. We must have the low and zero carbon fuels of the future available and at a competitive price; we must have the infrastructure at ports to handle these fuels; and our workforce needs to be training to use them. With the first checkpoint just over 5 years away, we do not have the luxury of time and all these aspects must be addressed simultaneously. The global nature of shipping means that we need global solutions to ensure that we meet our targets collectively.”

In a further move towards cooperation and the mutual desire for a successful North Bund Forum in October 2024, three MOUs were also signed, announcing that the Baltic Exchange, the International Chamber of Shipping and Seatrade Maritime will serve as overseas partners of the North Bund Forum. The MOUs will serve as a commitment to engage in more extensive and indepth cooperation such as resource sharing; event promotion; industry development and joint activities.

The North Bund Forum, co-hosted by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and the Ministry of Transport of the P.R.C., will be held in Shanghai in late October 2024.