A Chinese Cultural Banquet for Foreign Friends along "Belt and Road" Port and Shipping Industry

Summer 2018 C Blue training program concluded with perfect ending

         On July 5 2018, the Summer 2018 China Merchants C Blue training program ("C Blue") held its closing ceremony at China Merchants Port Plaza in Shenzhen. 25 participants from 13 countries over four continents along the "Belt and Road" succeeded in graduation.

         Deputy Secretary General of China Merchants Charitable Foundation ("CMCF") Ms. Huang Yi, Chairman of Sri Lanka Port Authority Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, Associate Dean of Shanghai Advanced Institute of International Shipping of Shanghai Maritime University ("SMU") Mr. Yu Siqin, Deputy General Manager of China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited ("CMPort") Mr. Yan Gang and other guests attended the ceremony.

         On behalf of CMCF, Ms. Huang Yi extended her congratulation to all the graduates. She believes that C Blue program has achieved a greater success with the joint efforts of all parties. A century ago, China Merchants Group funded the first group of students in Qing Dynasty to U.S. to seek rejuvenation for China. Today, C Blue invites talents from nations along the "Belt and Road" to China to share the development experience and achievements.

         Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake said that C Blue is an innovation with great significance that young people can plant understanding and harvest friendships. It also helps to cultivate mutual understanding which is the key of cooperation. He also appreciated the visions of C Blue that the trainees would help develop the "Belt and Road" in the future with deeper understanding of Chinese culture and China's development experience.

         Mr. Yu Siqin stated that as the organizer of C Blue, SMU would fully utilize its faculty and regional advantage to help its implementation. He believes the project is an important exploration of the combination of production, education and research and hopes that more programs like C Blue could be used as platforms to strengthen the communication with Chinese port and shipping companies.

         Mr. Yan Gang said that C Blue has been successfully held for three sessions and has become a signature project of CMPort. It has built a platform for talents in nations along "Belt and Road" and is a vivid portrayal of CMPort who dares to undertake historical missions and actively reacts to the "Belt and Road" initiative.

         On behalf of C Blue trainees, Kaan Anul from Turkey expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all, he shared his understanding of the meaning of C Blue: "C" as the initial of "Cultural Exchange", "Communicate Internationally" and "Collaboration" conveys the values of the above words. They would bring their experience in China back to their countries and seek for common development under different cultural backgrounds.

         2018 C Blue Training Program was funded by the CMCF, hosted by CMPort, organized by SMU and launched in Shanghai on June 12. The project started in 2016 with focus on countries and regions along the "Belt and Road". It provides a series of high-end port and shipping training courses for young talents in the port industry. This year, the project will increase its frequency by planning to hold the fall class in October. The trainees of summer class not only systematically studied the theories of ports, shipping and free trade zones, but also visited the Chinese top companies in these industries, such as Shanghai Yangshan Port, Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co Ltd., China Merchants Zhangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, Shekou Container Terminal, and China Merchants Bonded Logistics Co Ltd., etc.

         The success of the C Blue has made the concept of communication on policies, exchange of facilities, trade flow, financing and people-to-people understanding advocated by the “Belt and Road” initiative better known, and it enhances the influence of China Merchants Group in the countries along the "Belt and Road". From the gradual transition from capital exchanges to management and cultural exchanges, it better explains the mission of CMPort's "we connect the world" and deepens the cooperation with colleges. It is believed that the trainees, through theoretical learning and practical fieldtrips, has rewarded a better understanding on China's social and economic development, in result to apply their experience to the development of the port industry in their own country, and jointly achieve economic and social prosperity for "Belt and Road" development and cooperation.