Third Global Maritime Regulatory Summit Held in Beijing

Leaders of the U.S., E.U., and Chinese agencies working to guarantee competition in global ocean transportation services met in Beijing on Thursday, April 20th, as part of ongoing consultations where container shipping industry trends and developments were discussed.

Acting Chairman Michael Khouri represented the Federal Maritime Commission at the “Third Global Maritime Regulatory Summit”. He was joined by his counterparts from the European Commission and the Ministry of Transport from the People’s Republic of China.

Among the topics discussed over the course of the meeting were the consolidation that has taken place among ocean lines, the associated development of new carrier alliances, how to address carrier insolvencies, and policy issues specific to each of the governments attending.

“This summit was a welcome opportunity to meet with my colleagues from the European Union and China to discuss a variety of issues all aimed at how to continue to guarantee a competitive global marketplace for ocean transportation services,” said Acting Chairman Khouri.

The Global Shipping Summit was established to provide a forum for competition officials from the U.S., China, and the European agencies to meet and discuss their respective approaches to the common goal of ensuring continued competition in ocean shipping.

“The container shipping industry provides a service that yields innumerable macroeconomic benefits to nations while improving the quality of life for individuals. Container shipping, and the intermodal supply chains built around it, provides the infrastructure that allows the global trading economy to function,” said Acting Chairman Khouri. “The ability of this sector to function efficiently, economically, and on a global scale is aided by the fact that carrier alliances provide shipping lines with the narrow, specific, and monitored structure to consult with fellow members on how to offer their customers services they need and how best to comply with a multitude of regulatory regimes.” Previous summit sessions were held in Washington, D.C. in December 2013 and Brussels, Belgium in June 2015.

Attendees Left to Right, Starting Third from Left: Ms. Gao Haiyun, Mr. Tom Leiby, Mr. Tyler Wood, Mr. Yan Fei, Acting Chairman Michael Khouri, Mr. Li Tianbi, Mr. Henrik Morch, Mr. Hubert de Broca, Ms. Li Huaye