Shandong Port Group (SPG) and representatives of the world's major container shipping companies held an important meeting on June 28 in Qingdao -- in East China's Shandong province -- to discuss approaches to ensure the smooth operation of shipping and stabilize the global logistics and supply chain, officials said.

Huo Gaoyuan, chairman of the board and Li Fengli, general manager of SPG, welcomed the participants and had in-depth exchanges with representatives of 13 global shipping companies, including China COSCO Shipping Corp, Maersk and the French shipping giant CMA CGM Group. 

Officials said the trend towards deglobalization has deepened due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. To prevent risks created by complicated supply chains, regional trade cooperation has come under more focus in the post-epidemic world.

Officials said the significance of the Belt and Road Initiative, as a multilateral organization to promote win-win cooperation across the globe, has become even greater.

A company spokesman said that SPG had actively followed the new opportunities presented by changes in the international logistics chain caused by the pandemic's impact. With the launch of cold chain express services, he said it had regained full strength so it could boost the upgrade of cold chain logistics and speed up the construction of a distribution center in North China.

Officials said that the world's top 20 shipping companies have opened routes and increased capacity at ports belonging to SPG.

The world's largest container liner has been berthing at SPG terminals on a regular basis. Ports and airlines have jointly built inland ports, optimized the layout of sea-rail combined transport and deepened logistics cooperation. To date, the total number of container routes launched by SPG has reached more than 290, ranking it number one in terms of quantity and density in North China.

The company representatives expressed their confidence in the development of SPG and said they would further strengthen their dealings with SPG -- striving to ensure smooth shipping and to realize win-win cooperation.