Today, the eyes of the world are once again focused on China. Upstream and downstream enterprises from the world's important industrial chains and supply chains gathered in Beijing, drawing a grand picture of the global supply chain. Intelligent vehicle chain, green agriculture chain, clean energy chain... Different supply chains intersected and blended at the opening ceremony of the first China International Supply Chain Promotion Expo and the Global Supply Chain Innovation and Development Forum (hereinafter referred to as the "First Chain Expo"), and generated new "chemical reactions" here.

On November 11, the first Chain Expo kicked off in Beijing, and people from all walks of life in the global industrial chain gathered in Beijing to seek wider cooperation here and turn the supply chain into a "win-win chain".

Ren Hongbin, President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said at the opening ceremony that the Chain Expo is the world's first national-level exhibition with the theme of supply chain, a new open platform for the international business community to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the industrial chain and supply chain, and an international public good shared by the world.

Build a stronger, more stable global supply chain

"The first Chain Expo was held at the right time." WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala believes that at present, some of the shocks faced by the supply chain have actually exposed the fragility of the organization of the global production network, so it is necessary to strengthen the internationalization of global trade, especially the internationalization of trade chains and supply chains, so that all links can work, and the Chain Expo can play this role.

The total exhibition area of the first Chain Expo reached 10,515 square meters, and 500 Chinese and foreign enterprises and institutions participated in the exhibition, including a number of Fortune <> companies and leading enterprises in the global supply chain system, focusing on the display of new technologies, new products and new services in the upstream, middle and downstream key links of each chain, which shows the attractiveness of the first Chain Expo.

As an exhibitor, Wang Tingke, chairman of Chinese Insurance Group, said that the first Chain Expo conformed to the urgent desire of international industry and commerce to maintain the stability and smoothness of the industrial chain and supply chain, and will also inject new impetus and resilience into China's high-level opening up.

It is worth noting that foreign exhibitors have come here to seek new opportunities, and the proportion of foreign exhibitors at this year's Chain Expo has reached 26%.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in a video speech that the holding of the first Chain Expo will provide full support for the world's efforts to build a stronger and more stable global supply chain. He hopes that through this chain expo, good cooperation between countries and business circles around the world will be promoted, and a more resilient supply chain system will be built.

The number of U.S. exhibitors also far exceeded expectations. Previously, Zhang Shaogang, vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, had said that American exhibitors accounted for 20% of the total number of overseas exhibitors.

Nashan, CEO of Starbucks in the United States, said that he was impressed by China's leading supply chain capabilities. In September this year, the Starbucks China Coffee Innovation Industrial Park was inaugurated and put into operation in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. He said that the Chinese coffee market contains infinite possibilities, and Starbucks is full of confidence and is optimistic about and investing in China in the long term.

Chen Jialiang, President of FedEx China, said that the Chain Expo provides a platform for cooperation and exchange for the global industrial chain and supply chain including FedEx. He expects to take the Chain Expo as an opportunity to promote the industry forward, jointly build a safer, stable, smooth, efficient, open and shared international supply chain system, and achieve the development and prosperity of the global economy.

At the same time, the enthusiasm of exhibitors from the "Belt and Road" countries is high, and they occupy half of the number of overseas exhibitors.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of Uruguay's accession to the Belt and Road Initiative. Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou said in a video message that at present, holding the first Chain Expo has more important and special significance, which will also help Uruguay participate in the construction of the "Belt and Road". "It's a place where we can connect with each other and bring these future-critical connections even closer," he said. ”

Maximizing the efficiency of the world economy

However, the turbulent situation in the world has led to the trend of regionalization and fragmentation of the global industrial chain and supply chain, and the global supply chain has become increasingly "short-chain".

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala observes that "many industries and regions have adopted supply chain 'reshoring' or nearshoring. She believes that the large-scale "reshoring" of national supply chains will deprive them of specialization, scale and the productivity brought about by trade, "which will not only not strengthen, but weaken the resilience of our supplies to earthquakes, droughts, high temperatures and other regional shocks."

She suggested that the supply chain should be deepened, diversified, and decentralized, and expanded to more developing countries, and that "only by creating such a suitable business and investment environment can the global division of labor not be marginalized."

In fact, at the first Chain Expo, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade will provide booth fee subsidies and exemptions for exhibitors from underdeveloped countries such as Laos, Rwanda, Guinea-Bissau, Timor-Leste, Haiti, etc., to support enterprises in these countries to display characteristic high-quality products and services, better integrate into the global value chain, and share the fruits of world economic development.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala believes that this year's Chain Expo will help promote the diversification of various supply chains and the "re-globalization" called for by the WTO. She called on China and other countries to broaden their horizons when developing investment and procurement strategies, "Vietnam is very attractive, as is India and Indonesia, and many countries have the same favorable macro environment and mutually beneficial opportunities."

A few weeks ago, Pamela Cork-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, visited China for the first time. In Shanghai, she sees new opportunities brought about by digitalization and huge opportunities for global supply chain cooperation. In her view, the Chain Expo allows people to see the big picture of the global supply chain, and also allows everyone to carry out wider cooperation here and seek a common future here.

She is very concerned about small and medium-sized enterprises, and hopes to take advantage of the opportunity of the Chain Expo to better promote cooperation and improve the development performance of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Gu Peiqin, chairman of the China-Britain Business Council, pointed out that the goal of the Chain Expo is to link the global economy and maximize the efficiency of the world economy. Global trade is for everyone, not only for multinational companies, not only for small and medium-sized enterprises, but also for ordinary people, for example, so that ordinary people have a great improvement in health, wealth, and happiness.

Go hand in hand, not alone

In the face of the current complex situation, cooperation is the inevitable essence of building a stable, healthy and resilient supply chain, and it is also the key to turning the supply chain into a "win-win chain".

"The real story of globalization is written through the supply chain." UNCTAD Secretary-General Revicka Greenspan said that the first edition of the Expo was groundbreaking because it was innovative in its way of bringing together companies from across the supply chain and promoting cooperation between upstream, midstream and downstream of the supply chain. She called for stronger support for multilateralism and dialogue, "We need to go hand in hand, not alone."

"We need to continue to promote multilateral trade, and this is more important than ever." John Denton, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), pointed out that the current global economic situation is full of challenges, and global trade is fragmented. In the face of today's risks, to turn the tide we need to work together to digitalize trade, which is an integral part of making global supply chains more inclusive, making trade more transparent and products more global. He pointed out that creating an environment for trade digitalization requires the joint efforts of many parties, especially China's support.

"'Internationalization' has become a highlight of the first Chain Expo, with international exhibitors accounting for 26% of the exhibition, and the Chain Expo is committed to building a cooperation platform between various entities in the global related industrial chain." Jiang Tao, co-founder and senior vice president of iFLYTEK, believes that Chinese companies are the most dynamic "hematopoietic cells" in the global supply chain. At present, the global industrial and supply chain is accelerating the reshaping, restructuring and adjustment, and I believe that Chinese enterprises have enough courage and strength to fight bravely and stand proudly in the sea of the world economy.

Wang Xiangming, Chairman of China Resources (Group) Co., Ltd., believes that "as long as we adhere to the principle of co-construction, co-construction and sharing, we can improve the efficiency of the supply chain, jointly build a stable, smooth, open, inclusive, mutually beneficial and win-win global supply chain system, achieve world integration, promote vigorous economic development, and improve the living standards of people in all countries." ”

Beijing, 11 Nov --

China Youth Daily and China Youth Network Intern Reporter Zhao Limei Reporter Zhang Junbin Source: China Youth Daily