The 2025 World Maritime Merchants Forum, themed “Breaking Barriers and Embracing Change: Advancing Sustainable Development,” brought together experts and leaders across the global maritime and shipping industry to discuss how the sector can transform toward higher efficiency, greener development, and sustainability in the context of an increasingly complex and volatile global trade landscape. Since its establishment in 2021, the World Maritime Merchants Forum has been successfully held in Hong Kong for four consecutive editions and has become an important platform and flagship event for dialogue in the global maritime sector.

 

During the visit to COSCO SHIPPING Ports, the two sides reviewed the operational performance of Nansha Phase I and Phase II, and exchanged views on further improving terminal operational capacity and efficiency. Both parties expressed their commitment to enhancing communication, leveraging respective resource strengths, strengthening the market competitiveness of their cooperative projects, and providing customers with higher-quality and more efficient services. Zhu Tao, Party Secretary and Chairman of the Board of COSCO SHIPPING Ports, and Chen Yipeng, Deputy General Manager of COSCO SHIPPING Ports, attended the meeting.

 

During the visit to SITC, the two sides affirmed the positive results achieved in recent years and held in-depth discussions on optimizing route operations, strengthening cooperation in sea–rail intermodal services, and jointly improving port and shipping services. Xue Mingyuan, Chief Executive Officer of SITC International Holdings; Liu Shunzhang, General Manager of the South China Region; and Ding Xunqi, Deputy General Manager of the Planning Center, participated in the activities.

 

During the visit to Wan Hai Lines, both sides expressed their intention to further strengthen communication and cooperation, promote alignment of port and shipping resources, and deepen collaboration in liner route deployment, cargo market development, and multimodal transport services. Lin Yizheng, Head of South China Regional Center of Wan Hai Lines (Hong Kong); Yang Minzheng, Guangzhou Representative and Supervisor for the Western Guangdong Region; as well as heads of relevant departments, attended the activities.

 

During the trip, Wu Chao also conducted an on-site inspection at AVIC Industrial, the Hong Kong-based subsidiary of Zhongshan Port and Shipping. He was briefed in detail on Zhongshan Port and Shipping’s production and operational performance and its plans for the 15th Five-Year period. He urged Zhongshan Port and Shipping to strengthen its operational focus, further promote cost reduction and efficiency improvement, expand business development, and contribute more to the Group’s regional strategic deployment and high-quality development.（Contributed by | Office Edited by | Xiao Yifei）