¡¡¡¡This golden autumn will see the launch of ¡°2008 China International Logistics Week¡± in Chengdu, western China. Qian Yongchang, Chairman of the China Transportation & Communications Association, said the grand event would play a vital role in the development of the region¡¯s logistics development.

¡¡¡¡A press conference for ¡°China International Logistics Week 2008¡± was given at the Henan Room of the People¡¯s Great Conference Hall in Beijing on April 8.

¡¡¡¡Westward march

¡¡¡¡Having been successfully staged three times in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the fourth CILW will move westward and be held in Chengdu, Sichuan province on Nov. 12-16.
¡¡¡¡Qian Yongchang, Chairman of China Transportation & Communications Association and Director of the fourth CILW Organisation Committee, told the reporter that this deep reach into Western China is aimed at promoting the development and exploitation of the region¡¯s logistics resources on the one hand and revealing its great market potential on the other.
¡¡¡¡Liu Pu, Deputy Mayor of Chengdu, said hosting the event furnishes a valuable opportunity for us to learn from the extensive experience of others, strengthen exchange with the outside world and quicken our own development in the sector.
¡¡¡¡CILW2008 will maintain the characteristics of high influence, internationalisation, specialisation and variety of content.
¡¡¡¡Ni Wei, second Secretary of the China Transportation & Communications Association and Secretary of CILW2008, said that under the popular theme of cooperation, common benefit and development, ten items of content have already been determined and more are being discussed, including, among others, the award-giving ceremony for the ¡°top 100¡± and a summit meeting for representative logistics companies from all over Asia.

¡¡¡¡Opportunities for development

¡¡¡¡Liu Pu affirmed, modern logistics have been made one of the prop industries of Chengdu, with quickened establishment of the infrastructure facility system, the accompanied guiding policies and the necessary design of modern transport centres etc.
¡¡¡¡As a hinterland city, a lack of comparative advantage in transport means has been the major bottleneck problem affecting Chengdu. Thence, developing more transport means has become the very key to its effective improvement of the logistics environment, said Chen Zhongwei, Deputy Director of Chengdu Transportation Committee and Director of the Modern Logistics Development Panel of Chengdu city.
¡¡¡¡Apart from infrastructure construction, Chengdu is also paying high attention to the development of sea-rail intermodal services through cooperation with Chongqing on combined highway-waterway transport and by active construction of some land ports for direct connection with Tianjin port, Shanghai port, Qingdao port, Guangzhou port and Shenzhen port in the coastal areas. Currently, the phase-one project of Chengdu bonded logistics centre has been put into operation, construction on the air logistics park and Xindu logistics park are fully under way, and planning for the logistics centres of Qing-Bai-Jiang, Longquan and Shuangliu has also been completed. More than 30 corporations have settled in Chengdu, including FedEx, Kerryeas, China Merchants Logistics and Sinotrans etc.
¡¡¡¡Moreover, a modern logistics office, set up last year and put under the direct control of its Transportation Committee, is fully authorised to coordinate all the logistics operations of Chengdu city, covering railway, highway and air logistics, modern information technology applications and e-commerce etc. There are still only a few such operation systems existing around the country. And judging from the present situation, everything is going on with them very much as expected, said the Deputy Mayor.

¡¡¡¡LINK  Major events of CILW2008

¡¡¡¡7th China International Transportation & Logistics Expos
¡¡¡¡Companies engaged in shipping, port service, freight forwarding, railway/air transport, express service, technology & equipment development will take part.
¡¡¡¡The event will include an exhibition of transport achievements made in the past thirty years (after adoption of the national opening and reform policy).

¡¡¡¡2008' Global Logistics Forum
¡¡¡¡This will consist of a government forum, company forum and other related forums, organised under the common theme of ¡°Green Logistics and Sustainable Development¡±.

¡¡¡¡6th China Freight Award
¡¡¡¡A ceremony will be held to present ten prizes for the selected ¡°Best Carrier¡±, ¡°Best Port Operator¡±, ¡°Best Freight Forwarder¡±, ¡°Best Logistics Provider¡± and ¡°Lifetime Achievement¡± etc.

¡¡¡¡2008 Across-China Logistics Tour¡ªInvestment & Financing Inspection
¡¡¡¡Senior managers, well-known experts and mainstream media units will be invited from around the world for an inspection of the financial and investment environment of related cities under the theme of ¡°Great Logistics, Great Development¡±.

¡¡¡¡Logistics Science Day
¡¡¡¡Ofers case studies in the application of logistics information technology.

¡¡¡¡Logistics Talents Day
¡¡¡¡Provides a platform of exchange for people from related higher learning institutes, logistics companies and various senior logistics professionals etc. About 30 famous corporations from home and abroad were attracted to CILW2007, including DHL and UPS etc.

¡¡¡¡China International Logistics Investment & Financing Report
¡¡¡¡This will introduce the latest investment & financing policies and successful cases of chartered chain operation and logistics park service etc, by government officials, entrepreneurs and financial experts etc.

¡¡¡¡2nd China International Logistics Bidding
¡¡¡¡This will build from the 1st China International Logistics Bidding, which attracted the participation of about 400 people from Cosco, Sinotrans, Zhongtie Express Service, Baoguang as well as some companies of South Korea etc, with total negotiation dealings reaching to US$ 300 million.

¡¡¡¡Award-Giving Ceremony & Summit Meeting
¡¡¡¡This covers an awarding-giving ceremony for the Top 100 logistics companies and summit meeting for representative logistics operators from all over Asia.

¡¡¡¡Urban Logistics Introduction
¡¡¡¡Votes for logistics centre cities and series prizes based on the Across-China logistics inspection, recommendation by companies and experts and individual companies themselves.