On the evening of September 8, 2022 (GMT+8), the opening ceremony for Seminar on Maritime Transport Management for Portuguese Speaking Countries, hosted by Ministry of Commerce and organized by MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai) was held online. Xu Yuansheng, Counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro, Fang Meng from the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Chen Wei, Executive Vice Dean of International Education College and Yu Shicheng from Shanghai Maritime University, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and the Portuguese-speaking peoples have always stood by each other, and multilateral relations have continued to sublimate during the trials. China and the Portuguese-speaking countries have joined hands to overcome difficulties and seek development together, which has enriched the connotation of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind. This seminar was held online, which is a positive initiative to practice the concept of the community of human destiny and a vivid manifestation of China and Portuguese-speaking countries overcoming difficulties together, carrying out mutually beneficial cooperation and seeking common development.
Xu Yuansheng said that the cooperation has been continuously deepened. As important developing countries, China and Brazil have been actively cooperating in multilateral mechanisms such as the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the BRICS cooperation mechanism and the China-CPLP Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum to jointly safeguard the interests of developing countries. Under the new situation, China and Brazil will continue to maintain the BRICS spirit of openness, tolerance and win-win cooperation, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and work together to overcome difficulties.
Fang Meng said that Shanghai is an international trade center, financial center, shipping center, economic center and science and innovation center, and aims to become an international shipping operation center with global influence featuring an intelligent and efficient container hub port, a leading quality aviation hub port and an international first-class cruise ship homeport. This seminar will build a bridge of friendship, share the experiences and cases of Shanghai in the process of building a national shipping center, and expand multi-disciplinary contacts and cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Chen Wei said that the seminar, led by promoting the building of a community of human destiny and guided by serving the diplomacy of a great nation, aims to promote exchanges and cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries in the field of capacity building for officials, to open a new window of opportunity for China and Portuguese-speaking countries to complement each other's advantages and open development, and to provide new opportunities to enhance the well-being of people in each country.
Yu Shicheng, speaking as an expert representative, expressed his hope to use the seminar as a platform for in-depth exchanges with the participants on Chinese maritime law and maritime dispute resolution, and to enhance their understanding of China's maritime legal system and the development of China's maritime industry.
The participant representative, Prof. Paulo Alves from Vargas Foundation, Brazil, expressed his sincere thanks to the project organizer. He said that the shipping industry has been considered as the pillar of international trade, and shipping makes it possible to buy and sell goods and to transport people. He will make full use of this training opportunity and actively participate in the seminar, and believes it will be a rich learning experience.
The seminar will last 21 days, and a total of 42 government officials from Brazil and Mozambique's Maritime Transport related departments will participate.
Written by: Liang Bo
Photos by: Ni Haoran
Reviewed by: Chen Wei
