On the evening of November 9, 2021 (GMT+8), the closing ceremony for " Seminar on Trade Promotion for Belt and Road Countries" hosted by Ministry of Commerce and organized by MOFCOM Training Base for International Business Officials (Shanghai) was held online. Mr. Fang Meng, from Foreign Economics and Cooperation Division of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, and Mr. Chen Wei, Executive Vice Dean of the College of International Education of our university attended the ceremony.
Chen Wei summarized the seminar and pointed out that this Seminar aims to share China’s (especially Shanghai) experiences and practices in trade promotion, so as to enhance trade cooperation development between China and other “The Belt and Road”countries. Therefore, the Seminar invited experts and scholars from Shanghai International Trade Center Strategy Research Institute, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, East China University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai Free Trade Zone United Development Co., Ltd. and other units to share their practical experience and research results. He hopes that the participants could bring the knowledge and experience gained during the training to their compatriots, while also continuing to promote globalization, improve trade development in their countries, and facilitate multilateral and bilateral trade development.
Maggie Maria, a senior administrative officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Zimbabwe, expressed her gratitude to the organizers of this Seminar on behalf of all the participants. She said that they learned about the construction of the Shanghai International Trade Center, the development history of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the China International Import Expo, and the innovation and change of China's foreign investment law. She hopes that after the epidemic is over, she can come to China as soon as possible and feel the rapid development of China.
Fang Meng said that China joined the WTO in 2001 and has become the world’s largest exporter and second largest importer. Its share in world trade increased from 4.3% to 10.4%, making it a crucial contributor for the stable growth of the world economy. Recently, the 4th China International Import Expo is being held in Shanghai. The expo has significantly promoted sales of high-quality specialty products from various countries in China. At the same time, it has provided Chinese consumers more chances to enjoy high-end products from around the world. This demonstrates China’s vision of further opening up its domestic market, promoting economic globalization, and achieving win-win development with other countries. In this context, the successful holding of this Seminar is a successful exchange and exploration between China and other “The Belt and Road” countries in promoting trade development and cooperation.
The seminar lasts for 14 days and 43 participants government officials and enterprises from 13 countries have participated, including including Azerbaijan, Cuba, Ethiopia, Kiribati, Malawi, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Zimbabwe and Guyana.
Written by: Guan Rui
Photographed by: Li Zheng
Reviewed by: Chen Wei
