Photo: Courtesy of Silk Road Maritime
From September 8 to 9, the 7th Silk Road Maritime International Cooperation Forum was held in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, where global shipping industry insiders called for joint efforts to promote the stable operation of maritime logistics, and inject certainty to the sector amid rising international volatilities.
This year's forum adhered to the principle of "Sharing Prosperity through Maritime Cooperation and Connectivity." With the theme "Seamless Port and Shipping, Boundless Silk Road Trade," the forum featured a series of activities including the main forum, six thematic forums, the 2025 Silk Road Maritime Roundtable (close door), and the 2nd Silk Road Maritime Matchmaking Conference for orts, Shipping and Trading Industries.
Shipping, renowned as the "artery" of global trade, carries over 80 percent of international commerce. Against the backdrop of rising protectionism and restructuring supply chains, the 7th Silk Road Maritime International Cooperation Forum pooled global strength in ports, shipping, trade, and finance to inject stability and dynamism into world economic growth—displaying China's leading role in global shipping.
Highlights and achievements
As one of the forum's key agendas, Chen Zhiping, chairman of Fujian Provincial Port Group Co, released the 2025 Silk Road Maritime Blue Book. He said the group is committed to serving the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and aims to develop Silk Road Maritime into a comprehensive international brand integrating ports, shipping, logistics, trade, finance, and information.
The main forum also unveiled 10 landmark achievements of Silk Road Maritime, including: incorporating port-shipping-trade integration into the eight major BRI actions; forming a global cooperation alliance for ports, shipping, and trade; building an international digital platform for maritime data, among others.
Photo: Courtesy of Silk Road Maritime
During the forum, the 15th batch of 15 named shipping routes was announced, and 14 enterprises—including COSCO SHIPPING Ports Chancay Peru S.A. and RINA China—joined the Silk Road Maritime alliance. Meanwhile, 27 domestic and foreign organizations signed 10 new cooperation projects under the Silk Road Maritime framework.
At the 2025 Silk Road Maritime Roundtable, port authorities, shipping firms, international organizations, research institutions, and industry representatives held in-depth discussions under the theme of "Integration of Ports, Shipping and Trade under the Framework of Regional Cooperation," and jointly issued the 2025 Silk Road Maritime Xiamen Initiative, aiming to further upgrade global supply chains by promoting deeper shipping industry integrations.
Photo: Courtesy of Silk Road Maritime
Cross-sector integration
As a key supporting activity of the 7th Silk Road Maritime International Cooperation Forum, this year's thematic forums expanded to six from four in last edition for the first time. On top of the four traditional sectors — finance, technology, port, shipping and multimodal transport, and trade — two new additions were introduced: a Security Forum and a Zheng He Forum & Zheng He Navigation High-Quality Academic Achievements Sharing Symposium.
The Silk Road Maritime Security Forum, held on the September 9th, highlighted the role of meteorological services in safeguarding international supply chains, showcased years of cooperative achievements, and attracted industry representatives to explore new ways in which meteorology can support high-quality BRI development.
At the upgraded Port, Shipping and Multimodal Transport Forum, discussions centered on digital transformation of ports and shipping, and green shipping ecosystems. Guests highlighted how technological innovation can empower ancient maritime routes and help build resilient global supply chains.
Photo: Courtesy of Silk Road Maritime
The inaugural Zheng He Forum & Zheng He Navigation High-Quality Academic Achievements Sharing Symposium coincided with the 620th anniversary of Zheng He's voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, and the eastern coast of Africa. The forum emphasized openness, inclusiveness, and innovation, aiming to provide a platform for exchange, explore the significance of the ocean economy, and deepen understanding of maritime civilization.
Following the success of the first Silk Road Maritime Matchmaking Conference for Ports, Shipping and Trade Industry at last year's forum, the second edition expanded in scale this year, which brought together 20 well-known exhibitors from home and abroad, along with more than 150 participants from 20 countries and regions including Germany, South Korea, Indonesia, and Egypt.
At the conference, business representatives from around the world actively engaged in discussions, seeking new trade opportunities. Overseas buyers showed strong interest in Chinese building materials and sanitary ware products, expressing hopes to expand cooperation through the event.
Building a cooperation model
As the birthplace of the Maritime Silk Road and the core area of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, Fujian launched the Silk Road Maritime in December 2018 to build a new international trade corridor connecting land and sea, East and West.
Over the past seven years, its circle of cooperation has steadily expanded and shipping routes have become increasingly smooth. The Silk Road Maritime now has 367 members, operates 148 named routes, reaching 150 ports in 48 countries and regions, with a cumulative container throughput exceeding 24 million TEUs.
Transforming shipping "routes" into a global "network" of container flows has been made possible through Silk Road Maritime's coordinated organization, platform-based operations, intelligent management, standardized services, streamlined processes, and global branding — gradually shaping a community of shared interests, responsibility, and destiny.
Photo: Courtesy of Silk Road Maritime
Participants of the forum widely agreed that, after years of exploration and development, the Silk Road Maritime platform's upgraded integrated services for ports, shipping, and trade have greatly improved the security, convenience, and efficiency of international shipping.
With rising trade protectionism, geopolitical tensions, and climate change fueling uncertainty, this year's forum further enhanced the platform's service capacity and deepened cooperation, serving as a "stability anchor" for the future of global shipping cooperation and development, they said.
Samir Abdelhafidh, Minister of Economy and Planning of the Republic of Tunisia, said in his speech that in today's uncertain global landscape, the Silk Road Maritime serves as a beacon of confidence and trust. The 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, he stressed, is an important driver of global economic growth. Such initiatives encourage dialogue and connectivity, not only boosting trade in goods and services but also advancing inclusive and sustainable development, he noted.
Andrzej Juchniewicz, China Representative Office Chief of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, who has attended the forum multiple times, said the event has become a hub linking global port, shipping, trade, and finance sectors, truly building an international ecosystem of consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits.
Over the past seven years, the Silk Road Maritime has become a vital link in global shipping. In the face of challenges and uncertainties, it is committed to driving trade recovery and building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Chen Zhiping pointed out that, under the tests of geopolitics and supply chain restructuring, the Silk Road Maritime will continue advancing consultation, co-construction, and shared prosperity, injecting fresh momentum into China's opening-up while adding certainty and vitality to global economic and trade cooperation.
Global Times
