On the afternoon of September 1, 2022 (GMT+8), the opening ceremony for Seminar on Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Hungary-Serbia Railway hosted by Ministry of Commerce and organized by MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai) was held online. Chen Qingfen, from the Foreign Economics and Cooperation Division of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Chen Wei, Deputy Dean of International Education College of Shanghai Business School, and Mi Jinhong, Associate Professor of Shanghai Maritime University attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.
The Hungary-Serbia Railway is one of the key projects in the “The Belt and Road” interconnection projects, which further enhances the infrastructure level of Hungary, Serbia and the regions along the route, greatly improves the efficiency of passenger and cargo transportation between the countries, accelerates regional interconnection, better promotes people-to-people, economic and trade exchanges. It is very important to help the high-quality development of the B&R. In this context, this seminar is held to build an exchange platform between China and Serbia in the field of railroad construction, operation and maintenance, to promote multi-level, multi-disciplinary exchanges and cooperation on this basis, to promote the common development of China and Serbia, and to provide new development opportunities to promote the well-being of the people of both countries.
Chen Qingfen said that China, as the world's largest developing country, has always paid attention to and supported the cause of improving people's livelihood and pursuing development in other developing countries, and will strengthen and deepen solidarity and cooperation with the majority of developing countries. It is hoped that this seminar will not only provide the trainees with opportunities to learn and communicate with each other, but also build a bridge of friendship between the people, which can make joint efforts to strengthen exchanges and deepen practical cooperation between China and Serbia. Besides, the seminar will promote the common development of the railway transportation industry, and encourage the friendly relations between the two countries to reach a new level.
Chen Wei said that as one of the mainstream forms of transportation, railway is an important infrastructure and a popular means of transportation for the country. It plays a key role in the national comprehensive transportation system. China values the friendship and cooperation with Serbia and is willing to work closely with and support each other to raise the level of mutual exchanges and cooperation. It is hoped that all participants will use the seminar as a platform to share the advanced experience accumulated in this field, discuss the bottlenecks and problems encountered, and jointly cope with the new environment and new challenges.
Mi Jinhong, speaking as an expert representative, said that with globalization and economic development, mankind is facing unprecedented changes, and the coordination of global governance has failed to solve the challenges of pressing issues such as climate change. The gravity of the situation requires all parts to work together. We hope that this seminar will shed light on the future of globalization, economic growth and the B&R.
Ms. Teodora Milenković, Junior Advisor of the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of Serbia, representing the participants of the seminar, expressed her hope to learn more about railroad construction and maintenance and wished the seminar a successful one in the coming weeks.
The seminar on Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Hungary-Serbia Railway will last 20 days and participants from the Serbian Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Serbian Railways Ltd. and other units will participate in.
Written by: Ma Yizhou
Photos by: Ni Haoran
Reviewed by: Chen Wei