Supply chain ties foster shared development

In early December, Meng Xiangyu, a manager at Liaoning Chengzhi Trading Co Ltd, a Shenyang-based freight forwarder, was standing next to a cargo train at the Shenyang assembly center for the China-Europe freight train services in Northeast China's Liaoning province and directing workers to load containers filled with ski boots and skis onto the train with 45 freight cars.

Four hours later, at the sound of a whistle, the long-haul train bearing the logo of CR Express (China Railway Express), departed for Europe via the Manzhouli railway port located in Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Upon arrival in Duisburg, Germany, the winter sports equipment and accessories will be distributed to retailers and ski resorts across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway within three days.

"This service ensures that our clients' ski products can efficiently and reliably reach over 20 European countries and more than 30 cities," Meng said.

From January to November, Liaozhong Customs, a branch of Shenyang Customs, had supported the export of winter sports economy-related goods, including ski equipment and down jackets worth 27.51 million yuan ($3.78 million).

Over 3,000 kilometers away, at the Pingxiang land port in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in southern China, long lines of trucks, heavily loaded with raw materials, intermediate goods, parts and accessories, drive into and out of Vietnam each day.

These shipments, destined for factories of local and international companies in Vietnamese provinces like Binh Duong and Bac Ninh, originate from suppliers in South China's Pearl River Delta region.

These are just a few examples of how China's proactive measures and advanced industrial system have contributed to global supply chain collaboration, stimulated foreign trade and assisted neighboring countries in accelerating their pace of industrialization.

In the face of sluggish global economic growth, challenges posed by protectionist policies and geopolitical tensions, enhancing global supply chain cooperation has proved to be a pragmatic approach in lowering business costs, improving production efficiency and promoting shared development, said Yu Jianlong, vice-chairman of the Beijing-headquartered China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

In recent years, certain Western countries have actively pursued strategies aimed at decoupling and disrupting supply chains, while promoting the "anti-globalization" and "de-globalization" agenda.

These actions have significantly disrupted the efficient global flow of production factors, impeded the optimal allocation of resources, and undermined the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains, said Yin Xiaopeng, dean of the Research Institute for Global Value Chains at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.

With China entering a new era of green and innovation-led growth, Yin said that the country's well-developed industrial system, logistics-related infrastructure and talent pool, free trade agreements with various partners, peaceful and huge market, will attract global companies to strengthen their supply chain in China.

For instance, European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has signed cooperation agreements with several domestic and foreign suppliers for production facilities in China this year, covering items from raw materials to equipment, in an effort to expand its supply chain in the country.

"The Chinese supply chain is an integral part of the global aviation industry, showing great resilience and competitiveness," said George Xu, Airbus' executive vice-president and CEO of Airbus China. At present, approximately 200 suppliers in China support the production of Airbus' commercial aircraft.

Brian McNamara, CEO of British multinational consumer healthcare group Haleon Plc, expressed a similar view.