Entering the “14th Five-Year-Plan” period, many places are getting ready to develop the marine economy, which will construct a modern marine industry system, promote high-quality development of the marine economy to a strategic objective, and form a pattern of “racing of thousand sails” in struggling to be marine cities. The marine economy is now becoming a must for the competition of coastal city clusters.
 

Create New Heights of International Cooperation
Build a Service Ecosystem for Marine Industries
 

On July 29, 2021, the International Expert Seminar of the International Union of Maritime Business Associations (preparatory) was held synchronously online and offline. The seminar was co-hosted by China Enterprise Video of China Enterprise News, China Enterprise Marine Industry Foreign Cooperation Promotion Center, The West Coast New Area of Qingdao, and Executive Committee of 2021 East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao, and the attendees included  Wu Zhicheng, Deputy Director of Executive Committee of 2021 East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum and Vice Chairman of the CPPCC of West Coast New Area of Qingdao, Zhao Yingmin, Head of General Affairs Department of Executive Committee of 2021 East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum and Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group of the Marine Development Bureau, West Coast New Area of Qingdao, Zhang Haibo, Deputy Head of General Affairs Department of Executive Committee of 2021 East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum, as well as international experts, scholars from universities and research institutes, persons in charge of international marine industrial organizations, enterprise senior managers and senior media workers, etc. The seminar made an in-depth discussion on topics such as how to better implement “The Belt & Road” initiative, promote future construction planning of the International Union of Maritime Business Associations, further deepen cooperation in the international marine field, give full play to the role of the bridge and bond, and serve exchange and development of international marine industry, etc., and has reached a series of consensus.

International experts gave full affirmation and praise to the International Union of Maritime Business Associations initiated by Qingdao and put forward many prospective analyses and suggestions. The establishment of the International Union of Maritime Business Associations will also further highlight the achievements and breakthroughs of The West Coast New Area of Qingdao in taking the courage to make innovation, going out and bringing in. In addition, the West Coast New Area of Qingdao will cooperate with various resources to actively promote the implementation of the Union, so as to create an open, win-win and innovative international integrated marine cooperation platform, and promote the global development of Qingdao marine economy with high-point planning, high-standard orientation, and high-quality promotion.

It is reported that the International Union of Maritime Business Associations was launched by the China Enterprise Marine Industry Foreign Cooperation Promotion Center, the West Coast New Area of Qingdao subordinated to the China Enterprise News Group. It integrates marine think tank, economic and trade promotion, scientific & technological cooperation, and marine governance and cooperation to establish an integrated platform conforming to the international rules for organization, coordination, promotion, and services of marine international cooperation and is devoted to making active contributions to exploring and creating pilot demonstration zones of a community with a shared maritime future. It assists with marine science & technology cooperation and exchange to drive cooperation in the marine industry, marine ecosystem, global marine governance, and other fields, promotes the sustainable development of the marine economy, and builds an international cooperation height with important global influence in the marine field.
 

Zhao Yingmin, Head of Comprehensive Department of Executive Committee of 2021 East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum and Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group of the Marine Development Bureau, West Coast New Area of Qingdao, showed thanks to the international experts for their advice and planning for the future development of the International Union of Maritime Business Associations. As an important support for the economic and trade sector under the entity framework of East Asia Cooperation Marine Platform, International Union of Maritime Business Associations will be prepared to integrate international marine industrial resources with market-oriented mode, fully dig marine association channels and enterprise advantageous resources, further deepen international cooperation in the marine field, and serve the exchange and development of the international marine industry better.
 

 

Ulanqiqige, Director of China Enterprise Video of China Enterprise News introduced the preparations of the Union. She expressed that the Union would be created into a comprehensive marine resource configuration platform, a marine information release platform, and a government-enterprise communication platform. With the marine economy as the orientation, industrial cooperation as the bond, and for the sake of cooperation and win-win, it would be created into an international marine industrial exchange & cooperation platform that “never ends”, so as to provide the union members and even the global marine industry with accurate, real-time and highly-efficient docking services, innovate the system models from the perspectives of international operation, normal operation, and market-oriented development, and further deepen international cooperation in the marine field.
 

New Pattern & New Vision
Igniting the New Engine for International Cooperation in Marine Industry

Zhou Liang, business partner of Ernst & Young Global:

It is of great significance to establish the International Union of Maritime Business Associations, which was highly recognized and expected by Zhou Liang. He expressed that, “First of all, the Union has a very good structure and theme on the whole, featuring government leadership, Union operation and industry cutting-in. Government leadership is necessary because it is very important to evade some risks in case activities in foreign affairs are involved; with the domestic appeal and leadership of the government, the foreigners are more willing to participate in our activities, because they hope to connect with the enterprise and investment opportunities in China truly; in terms of Union operation, it is very good to cut in from playing the role of various business associations. The international situation is changing, but non-governmental business cooperation is very popular, with prosperous development in not only import-export volume but also cross-border e-commerce and other relevant marine industries. Ernst & Young has always been participating in international cooperation with its advantages as an international institution; in terms of industry cutting-in, the ocean is a very big industry with many subdivision fields, since different industries have different demands for economic and trade investment, it needs to find the cutting-in point by industries and analyze the pain points and problems existing in the industries. Therefore, it shall make researches in advance, investigate the business associations, analyze the enterprise problems, make problem-oriented cutting-in and determine the problem-solving methods. Only in this way can the Union become more vital and realize sustainable operation, thus becoming a quality institution that is convenient for exchange and cooperation of marine industry, can promote business activities, and create Union think-tank.”
 

Li Guoquan, Consultant of International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank (WB), founder of Singapore Fuyi Asset Management Group, and professor of Singapore University Of Social Sciences (SUSS):

Li Guoquan shared his own opinions in combination with the experience of Singapore. International trade in Singapore accounts for 150%~200% of the gross national product (GNP), and the marine economy, marine science and technology, marine ecosystem, marine finance, and marine governance play a very important role. Seeing from the practices of Singapore, various marine associations and unions have exerted an important role. According to his analysis, only a powerful intermediate layer can promote the production, frequently collect data on subjects in various aspects, and study and gather them together, which are very important for various brands, scientific and technological absorption, and production elements, etc.

“There is also a broad prospect for the marine economy in China, and organizations such as International Union of Maritime Business Associations are very important. China plays a leading role in scientific and technological development, if we could bring some Chinese technologies, production elements, production raw materials, and resources to the whole world especially the ASEAN, the establishment of the International Union of Maritime Business Associations will have a great effect and role.”
 

Zhu Dan, Vice President of European Alumni Association in China and Overseas Special Representative of Shanghai CPPCC:

Zhu Dan expressed that, “Under the background of the unprecedented big change and big pattern, Qingdao’s preparations for the International Marine Business Association is of very important historical and cultural significance, which is a measure for Chinese industry to actively integrate into the world, industry, and culture. There will be quite many cooperation opportunities for China and Europe in talent cooperation & exchange as well as industry; traditional European countries are powerful in the marine industry, so China shall seize the opportunities by making some exchanges especially in experts, youths and students. And, it is suggested that experts and international industry experts or committees should be established in priority. In addition, we should also invite the youths to come into China, come into Qingdao.”
 

Hong Yongqing, Director of Shanghai Office of Association for the Promotion of South-South Cooperation, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Hong Yongqing expressed that, “Members of the International Union of Maritime Business Associations are equipped with very high hierarchy, level, and vision. As for Qingdao Marine International Cooperation Center and the International Union of Maritime Business Associations under preparation, they are to promote international economic cooperation along the Maritime Silk Road in the 21st Century in a more innovative form from a certain field, which will be strongly supported by the Association for the Promotion of South-South Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
 

Seek for New Future of Marine Union Together
 
International Experts Offer Their Advice and Suggestions
 

International experts present at the seminar offered many constructive opinions on future operation and planning, detailed implementation, etc. of the Union, as well its function and the way of implementation, and they also discussed the plan of Qingdao Marine International Cooperation Center (preparatory) to seek for a new future of the marine union together.
 

 
Wang Yonghong, Secretary-General of International Ship Management Branch of Shanghai International Shipping Center Development Promotion Association:

As far as Wang Yonghong was concerned, “the International Union of Maritime Business Associations needs to handle three relationships properly in the future development: government-business relationship, international industry relationship, and cross-border integration relationship. For the government-business relationship, the Union shall play the promotion and center role as an effective coordinating organization; for the international relationship, chambers of commerce and associations from different countries in the Union shall make effective coordination of folk demands of commercial affairs as civil organizations; and the industry and cross-border relationship are recommended to be distinguished by different specialties since the marine topic is very great and the population concerned is also very big. Therefore, it needs to build a folk think tank with relatively high specialty and relatively high personnel hierarchy for effective coordination.”
 

Guan Yong, Guest Professor of Shanghai Maritime University and Xi’an University of Science and Technology and Vice Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Management Advisory and Training Committee

Guan Yong expressed that, “Qingdao is equipped with unique advantages, as well as very long marine industrial chain and very extensive scope, so the way in which the International Union of Maritime Business Associations makes differential operation really embodies the uniqueness of the marine industrial union and in-depth thinking shall be made from three aspects. Firstly, the industrial-chain thinking, i.e. how to perform classification of marine industries, including standard effective means of classification, and combine the whole industrial chain with unique advantages of Qingdao in marine transport, marine affairs, and talents; secondly, systematic thinking; a higher requirement for systematic performance is required to integrate various marine-related industrial associations all over the globe; it is not the layout of a simple industry; instead, it needs to think about the architecture from the perspective of the system; thirdly, innovative thinking; the International Union of Maritime Business Associations is a big platform for integration of trans-industry associations, so the innovative thinking of the union organizations is more important. Therefore, we can’t solve traditional problems with traditional thinking and idea and instead, we must have the courage to make breakthroughs and innovations.”
 

Shen Jing, Senior Media Worker:

Shen Jing expressed that, “It is an effective means to establish the International Union of Maritime Business Associations in Qingdao, especially as Qingdao is equipped with unique advantages as a port city, and people are paying more attention to studies on the regional economy of urban development and the severe competition of city clusters. On one hand, the International Union of Maritime Business Associations can find the core means to create boutique IPs, and on the other hand, it shall pay more roles in Qingdao and the Union via media guidance, empowerment, and global-oriented function, so as to tell a good Chinese story.”
 

Wu Zhicheng, Deputy Director of Executive Committee of 2021 East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum and Vice Chairman of the CPPCC of West Coast New Area of Qingdao, showed thanks to various experts for their sincere opinions, and he expressed in the summary speech that, “discussions of the experts enlighten the preparations for International Union of Maritime Business Associations greatly, and the experts made full affirmation and support for the establishment of the Union, which further enhanced our confidence and determination in making this work and organization properly. The International Union of Maritime Business Associations shall further promote the implementation of the project, drive the development of local industries, and establish effective mechanisms to enable the Union to play a long-term role, give full play to its role as bridge and bond, and serve and empower win-win cooperation in the international marine industry.”
 

As reported, the International Union of Maritime Business Associations will be launched at the opening ceremony of the 2021 East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum to be held this year and will attract, at the initial stage, chambers of commerce and associations from different countries to join to make joint efforts for the prosperous development of the international marine industry.