Chinese vice premier urges joint efforts to safeguard global industrial, supply chains

BEIJING: The stable and smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains requires concerted efforts from all countries, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang said on Monday.

Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Fourth China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing.

As a responsible major country, China has given full play to its complete industrial system and vast market to facilitate steady global economic operations, Ding said, adding that China's concrete actions have provided solid support for the stability and smooth functioning of global industrial and supply chains.

Ding called on all countries to enhance mutual trust, treat industrial and supply chains as a global public good, and keep trade flows unimpeded. He stressed the need to uphold true multilateralism and advance integrated development, so that scientific and technological innovation can deliver benefits to more countries and people worldwide.

He also underscored that all parties should work together to strengthen resource sharing, advance mutually beneficial cooperation on key mineral products, and ensure their peaceful utilization.

South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile, as well as leaders of the International Chamber of Commerce and the Sustainable Markets Initiative, also attended and addressed the opening ceremony.

The expo, held from June 22 to 26 at the China International Exhibition Center (Shunyi Venue) in Beijing, has attracted 676 companies, industry organizations and specialized, refined, innovative SMEs from 85 countries, regions and international organizations. Foreign exhibitors account for 36.5% of all participants, while over 65% are Fortune Global 500 enterprises and industry leaders. This year's event covers six industrial chain exhibition areas and one official Supply Chain Service Exhibition Area, featuring the debut of a dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) section. The new section gathers leading players including NVIDIA, Intel, Qualcomm and Alibaba to showcase full-spectrum innovations and applications across the AI ecosystem.

The opening day also saw a think tank exchange session and the official release of the 2026 Global Supply Chain Promotion Report, as well as an expanded global supply chain resilience index matrix. Organizers note that the expo is hosting more than 60 business exchange activities throughout the event, with over 160 new product and technology debuts set to be unveiled, demonstrating emerging trends and vast opportunities for global industrial and supply chain cooperation.