Alliance pledges platform will strengthen ties

The East Asia Seaport Alliance has vowed to establish a platform for exchanges and cooperation between seaports along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to promote the joint development of the seaport and shipping industries.

The announcement of plans to develop the platform was made at an assembly during the first Huangdao Forum of the East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform, which was held in the West Coast New Area of Qingdao on Tuesday.

The alliance members include 11 port affairs companies from Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Djibouti, Pakistan, Qingdao and four other Chinese cities. They reached a consensus to enhance exchanges and cooperation between the seaports along the Maritime Silk Road.

With the theme of "open cooperation and mutual benefit", the assembly attracted more than 50 industry insiders and experts from countries along the Maritime Silk Road to discuss issues concerning port construction, exchanges and cooperation.

Li Fengli, director of the administrative committee of the Qingdao West Coast New Area, said he hoped the new platform would contribute to enhanced port and logistics cooperation and a more efficient network of shipping routes.

The event also saw keynote speeches and panel discussions on the transformation and upgrading of port cooperation and the development of green and smart international port economies.

Before the assembly, Qingdao Port also signed an agreement with Port Kelang of Malaysia on deepening cooperation in port construction and development.

(China Daily 07/29/2016 page12)