On November 6, 2020, as a supporting activity of the third China International Import Expo, China Europe CEO Summit took place in the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai). Yu Jianhua, Vice Minister of Commerce of China, Deputy Representative of China International Trade Negotiation, Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Brigitte Seyrlehner, Austrian Consul General of Shanghai on behalf of Sebastian Kurz, Chancellor of Austria, gave a speech respectively. Han Gang, vice president of Cedar Holdings attended the summit together with about 600 company representatives from China and Europe.
At the invitation of ICBC, the initiator, Cedar Holdings, joined BYD, Airbus, Glencore, etc to sign and publish Support China and Europe Trade and Investment Cooperation Initiative (hereinafter referred to as "the initiative"), appealing to the economic community to boost trade and investment between China and Europe.
As stressed by President Xi on the opening ceremony of the third China International Import Expo, China will persistently open up, stand ready to share with the rest of the world market opportunities, and strengthen the world economic recovery, said Yu Jianhua. Despite the COVID-19 shock, trade and investment exchange between China and Europe remains resilient, closely connectd and promising. In the first three quarters of the year, China-Europe bilaterial trade took a lead in growth recovery with much less decline in mutual investment. China is in the midst of buidling a new development pattern with domestic market playing a leading role and international market acting as a complementation. Yu Jianhua hoped that businessmen from China and Europe would catch the opportunities and contribute to the China-Europe trade cooperation.
As COVID-19 epidemic rampages through the world and deals a fatal blow to the world economy, the initiative makes its first article centering on maintaining the industrial chain and supply chain stability through mutual efforts. China and European companies are expected to enhance communication and coordination with their trade partners upon the upstream and downstream of the two chains, leverage their respective strengths, overcome difficulties, ensure smooth logistics operation, industrial products and raw materials supply, and maintain trade and investment activities as usual.
In recent years, Cedar Holdings has constantly improved its resilience and build up its global supply chain network. With large resources reserve and well-estabilished supply chain network, Cedar Holdings is capable of responding to the global market change rapidly and ensuring stable supply of resources for China and Europe's market.
With the best built international network among China's commodities players, Cedar Holdings controls the majority of stake in international companies like Stemcor and Integra, and established offices or subsidiaries in several European countries including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Switzerland.
Han Gang said that guided by the initiative Cedar Holdings will give priority to guaranteeing raw materials imports for Chinese manufacturers and international market access. The company will also further cooperation in multi levels and areas with countries and regions along the route of Belt and Road initiative. In respond to climbing risk of global supply chain cutoff and hindered international trade, Cedar Holdings decided to provide solid guarantee of industrial chain and supply chain for Chinese and European companies, and promote trade and investment between China and Europe.