On April 21, 2021, the high-level seminar on building world-class ports and the 40th anniversary of the China Ports and Harbors Association were held in Qingdao.
On that day, the following people were invited to attend the seminar: Huang Zhendong, former Minister of the Ministry of Transport (MOT), Secretary of Chongqing Municipal Party Committee and Chairman of the Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress, Li Shenglin, former Minister of the Ministry of Transport and former Chairman of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress, Ling Wen, Vice Governor of Shandong Province, Xu Zuyuan, former Vice Minister of MOT and the first Maritime Ambassador of the International Maritime Organization, He Jianzhong, former Vice Minister of MOT, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of CIN, Li Tianbi, Safety Director of MOT and Director of the Water Transport Bureau, Wu Jianguang, member of the sub-Party Group of the National Committee of Chinese Seamen and Construction Workers’ Union, Jiang Cheng, Secretary of the Party Group and Director of Shandong Provincial Department of Transportation and Zhao Haozhi, Deputy Secretary of Qingdao Municipal Committee, Mayor and Secretary of the Party Group of Qingdao Municipal Government. Those who were also invited to attend the meeting were leaders from local port and shipping management units, large port and shipping enterprises and groups, local ports and harbours associations and model representatives of the times, a total of more than 500 guests and representatives.
In his speech, He Jianzhong, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of transport, member of the National Committee of the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the China Institute of Navigation, pointed out that summing up the past 40 years is a vivid educational practice of the history of the Communist Party of China. The 40 years of port development is also a miniature of the history of new China, the history of reform and opening up, and the history of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Several key points were listed from his perspective as an indirect participant. First, we should always keep our original aspiration and mission firmly in mind. Second, we should always adhere to reform and opening up. Third, we should always stick to innovation in management and science and technology, especially in engineering technology and equipment intelligence of ports for shipping. Fourth, we should always adhere to the principle of strengthening the foundation and educating people. Over the years, a number of advanced representatives and innovative teams have emerged in the port industry. They have made extraordinary contributions in ordinary posts, and they are the pride of the port.
He Jianzhong also expressed his expectation, mentioning that the transportation industry is facing unprecedented opportunities as well as challenges in a new stage of development. In order to continue to move forward toward the goal of building world-class ports, the following three steps were recommended. The first step in the development of China's ports is to accelerate transformation. We should pursuit the shift from focusing on the growth in throughput to the high-quality in development, from loading and unloading single service to comprehensive logistics service in function, from relying on the traditional factor-driven and extensive resource input to innovation-driven and intensive development, We will vigorously promote the digital transformation of port services. Secondly we should strengthen entrepreneurial innovation. Standing on a new starting point, we should have the spirit of reinvigorating the business of luggage and packaging, and focus on innovation driven, intelligent empowerment, green and low-carbon, and efficiency improvement, so as to build China’s ports to hub ports with multimodal transport, information ports with intelligent services, ecological ports with green and low-carbon and safe ports with efficient operation. Third, we should improve efficiency and effectiveness, as efficiency means high quality and vitality. We should deepen the reform and improve the institutional mechanism, and build a more adaptable port governance system, so as to enhance the port facilitation; we should adjust the capital structure of the port, build a full-service port logistics operation management system, and constantly improve the capital operations efficiency.