Containers carrying goods for export are seen in Qingdao Port, East China's Shandong province. [Photo/VCG]

The 19th Presidents' Meeting of Ports and Harbors Association and the 21st Port Symposium in Northeast Asia Webinar was held in East China's Shanghai on Nov 24, and representatives from China, Japan and South Korea attended the meeting both online and offline.

Li Fengli, general manager of Shandong Port Group (SPG), said at the meeting that SPG has made great efforts to provide its customers with high-quality services and ensure the smooth flow of global supply chains amid the pandemic, which has created challenges such as port congestion.

Li added that Shandong Port has given full play to its regional advantages of being a junction between the historic Silk and Maritime Roads, and a bridgehead for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) countries including Japan and South Korea. The port will grasp the huge opportunities brought by national policies such as the China-SCO Demonstration Area of Local Economic and Trade Cooperation, and the ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin.

Efforts will also be made to balance COVID-19 prevention and control as well as economic and social development. Shandong Port will integrate its own development into the overall development of the country, and actively promote the construction of an international shipping center in Northeast Asia. The port will also keep industrial and supply chains stable and functioning, and promote the orderly flow of resources and inputs to boost economic recovery, according to Li.

Li noted that Shandong has seen growing trade with Japan and South Korea in recent years. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shandong Port and the ports of the two countries have continued to provide mutual support and strengthen solidarity to overcome difficulties.

The three parties signed a memorandum of understanding during the symposium with the aim of deepening exchanges and cooperation to promote the long-term development of Northeast Asia's port industry and achieve common prosperity. They also agreed that the 22nd Northeast Asia Port Director-General Meeting and the 22nd Port Symposium in Northeast Asia will be held in Japan next year.