On 23 December 2021, Mr. Guo Chuanwei, Director of the Trade and Investment Division of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) attended the Lancang-Mekong Workshop on Cold Chain Logistics and Food Safety, Transport Safety Standards in Beijing.

The workshop was hosted by the China Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Association (CIQA). Mr. Han Jianping, Deputy Director General of Department of International Cooperation of the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) of China, Mr.Guo Chuanwei, Director of the Trade and Investment Division of ACC, Mr. Wang Xin, President of the CIQA, and Mr. Florian Miss, Project Director of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Dozens of representatives from government departments, international organisations, research institutions, universities and enterprises participated in the workshop, with over 1,300 attendees joining in the workshop online.

Deputy Director General Han Jianping mentioned that cold chain logistics plays an important role in promoting consumption and improving people’s livelihood. COVID-19 has brought new challenges to the cold chain logistics. Ensuring the intra-regional trade and food safety, and preventing the spread of the coronavirus have become important issues for strengthening the cooperation and communication among Lancang-Mekong countries. This workshop is conductive to establishing and unifying the transport safety standards of cold chain logistics between ASEAN and China, especially among Lancang-Mekong countries, and will contribute to the joint target of promoting sustained growth and strengthening intra-regional ties.

President Wang Xin said that CIQA has continuously strengthened coordination and communication with agencies and organisations including SAMR, General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), and embassies of foreign countries in China while carrying out the inspection and quarantine of the imported and exported food, agricultural and animal products. Meanwhile, with the support of advanced technologies and professional teams, CIQA strives to improve cold chain logistics and build smart cold chain logistics, and remove trade barriers by promoting standardisation of food transportation among various countries. With the RCEP coming into force in 2022, CIQA will actively promote the formulation and implementation of international cold chain standards, so as to facilitate the development of sustainable economic partnership in Lancang-Mekong region.

Director Guo Chuanwei pointed out that Mekong countries and China have broad cooperation needs in the fields of industrialisation, infrastructure construction, industrial structure upgrading and agricultural modernisation. The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism has injected new momentum into ASEAN-China cooperation, and helps narrow the development gap among ASEAN Member States(AMS) and accelerate the establishment of the ASEAN Community and the process of regional integration. ACC will continue to play the role as a one-stop information and activities centre, actively support and participate in the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation as a bridge and linkage between Mekong countries and China under the framework of ASEAN-China cooperation.

Project Director Florian Miss and other guests said in their video speeches that intensifying cooperation among cold chain logistics enterprises, sharing and promoting cold chain logistics technology and advanced experiences are significant to strengthening the interconnection between Lancang-Mekong countries. GIZ and other organisations will continue to fully display their advantages and cooperate with all sides to promote the sustainable development of the Lancang-Mekong region.

The workshop aims to implement the theme of “promoting trade of agricultural products, establishing the quality and safety standards for agricultural products, sharing experiences of processing agricultural products, and discussing the construction of agricultural cooperation parks” under the framework of Lancang-Mekong Cooperation. It focuses on promoting the sustainable development of trade between Lancang-Mekong countries, and expanding the depth and breadth of the cooperation between Mekong countries and China, in order to pursue common development. Representatives of the World Bank, China National Institute of Standardisation, Research Centre of GACC for International Inspection and Quarantine Standards and Technical Regulations, and Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, together with representatives of companies including China Certification and Inspection (Thailand) Co., Ltd., and China Certification and Inspection (Cambodia) Co., Ltd., exchanged views and shared insights on topics including “Formulation and Implementation of International Cold Chain Standards”, “Food Safety along the Cold Chain Logistics in Lancang-Mekong Region”, “the Advancement and Transformation of Digital Cold Chain Logistics”, and “Smart Cold Chain and Scientific Innovation”.

The workshop also witnessed the inauguration of Branch of CIQA Professional Committee on Quarantine Treatment and Biosafety and the signing of cooperation documents between partners of the Industry Fund of Cold Chain.