The Silk Road Maritime Cooperation Forum, aimed at facilitating international maritime navigation and trade, opens in Xiamen, China

6th International Maritime Silk Road Cooperation Forum Photos: courtesy of the Maritime Silk Road Association

More than 600 dignitaries and representatives from the shipping, trade, finance and technology sectors from around the world attended the 6th International Silk Road Maritime Cooperation Forum, which opened on Saturday in Xiamen, eastern China’s Fujian province.

Themed around “Integration of Ports, Shipping and Trade Services”, and consisting of four sub-forums on specifically designated topics, the forum aims to strengthen linkages and cooperation between the upstream and downstream value chains and industries, providing effective trade solutions for the international transport sector.

During the opening ceremony of the forum, the organizer, the Silk Road Maritime Association (SRMA), presented the Silk Road Maritime Blue Book for 2024 and the Silk Road Seaports, Shipping and Trade Services Integration Initiative, which aims to unify the association’s services and promote international trade and shipping.

In addition, SRMA announced 14 new maritime transport routes under its own name, signed 12 cooperation agreements with 13 enterprises and announced the admission of 13 new members of the association.

As China’s first international logistics platform focused on maritime transportation under the Belt and Road Initiative, founded six years ago, the association now boasts a total of 132 named maritime transportation routes, connecting 145 seaports in 46 countries and regions, and has more than 340 members.

At the 3rd Belt and Road Forum on International Cooperation held in October 2023, China announced eight action plans to pursue high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, emphasizing that China will work to integrate ports, maritime transportation and trade services under the maritime platform of the Silk Road and accelerate the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and the Air Silk Road.

Looking to the future, SRMA will continue to innovate in the integrated development of ports, shipping and trade, seeking more dynamic and sustainable cooperation mechanisms to strengthen the global integration of port, shipping and trade services.