Forum builds on transport growth in Shanghai

Themed as Digital, Smart and Green: Co-creating a New Ecosystem of Global Shipping and Aviation, the 2024 North Bund Forum will start on October 22 and extend until October 24. (Photo provided to China Daily)

With a theme of 'Digital, Smart and Green: Co-creating a New Ecosystem of Global Shipping and Aviation', the 2024 North Bund Forum will take place in Shanghai next week, running from Oct 22-24, officials said on Tuesday.

Hosted jointly by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Ministry of Transport, the forum will consist of an opening ceremony, two main forums, and five thematic sessions, said Yu Fulin, director of the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, during a news conference on Tuesday.

The two main forums are the North Bund International Shipping Forum and the North Bund International Aviation Forum. The shipping forum would focus on the industry's high-quality development, and the aviation forum will center on digital and intelligent opportunities of civil aviation.

The five thematic forums will discuss maritime transportation safety, digital intelligence, green and low-carbon, judicial arbitration, finance and insurance. About 4,000 participants will take part in the three-day forum offline, covering around 50 countries and regions, said Yu.

According to Yu, Shanghai has made progressive achievements in its efforts to build an international shipping hub in the past year.

The port of Shanghai, which is the world's busiest container port, handled 39.1 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in the first nine months, which is up eight percent, year-on-year. During the January-September period, the city's two airports saw both passenger flow and cargo volume recover to the levels of 2019, handling 93.43 million passenger trips and 3.07 million tons of cargo, presenting year-on-year increases of 33.5 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

"China Eastern Airlines has seen rapid recovery of its international flights since last year, and the Shanghai-based carrier has launched a series of international routes between Shanghai and destinations including Cairo, Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, Marseille, Venice, and Kazan in Russia, further consolidating its intercontinental connection and global network," said Wan Qingchao, vice-president of China Eastern Air Holding Co Ltd.

"More passenger flights connecting China and destinations in Europe, central and western Asia, and the Middle East are expected to be launched next year, and the frequency of our cargo flights to Europe and the United States will increase too," Wan added.