European Union Chamber of Commerce in China BJ+SH Maritime Transport Working Group Meeting and Chair Elections Wednesday, 19th March 2014, 4pm-6pm European Chamber Shanghai (Shui On Plaza, Unit 2204, 333 HuaiHaiZhong Road) European Chamber Beijing (Beijing Lufthansa Center, Office C412, 50 LiangMaQiao Road)
Dear Working Group Member,
The European Chamber is pleased to invite you to the next Maritime Transport Working Group meeting. It will be held on Wednesday, 19th March, 4pm-6pm, at the European Chamber Shanghai. This meeting will be conducted via conference call with Beijing members.
Tentative Agenda
- Presentation: Shipping Derivatives and Risk Control, Mr. Yao WeiFu, Director, Shanghai Shipping Exchange
- 2014-2015 Chair elections
- Position Paper 2014-2015 preliminary discussion
- member feedback on Working Group activities for 2014
At this meeting, we welcome our guest speaker, a senior representative of the Shanghai Shipping Exchange, who will introduce the Exchange, highlight the Exchange’s 2014 work plan priorities and outline their involvement with the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. The senior representative will also discuss how European companies can cooperate with the Exchange.
We will also hold 2014-2015 Chair elections. The Maritime Transport Chairs and Vice-Chairs play a crucial role in driving the Working Group, which includes a leadership role in the drafting of the Position Paper, communicating key messages to Chinese and European government authorities and steering Working Group meetings. The desired characteristics of a Chair and Vice-Chair are a senior industry representative with relevant industry expertise and government contacts who has the time and willingness to support the Working Group. The Maritime Transport Working Group can have, at most, two Chairs and two Vice-Chairs.
Please note the following Chair and Vice-Chair eligibility guidelines:
- Chairs and Vice-Chairs must be physically based in China
- Chairs and Vice-Chairs are recommended to run in the chapter, where he/she is based
- maximum length of Chair/Vice-Chairmanship is 3 consecutive terms (1 term = 1 year)
Should you be interested in putting your name forward for election, please, firstly, read the attached Working Group Chairs’ Code of Conduct and Roles and Responsibilities documents. To apply, please send your CV and a short motivation letter in 1 document, stating whether you intend to run for Chair or Vice-Chair, to Ms. Bettina Buck at bbuck@europeanchamber.com.cn by Thursday, 13th March COB.
In accordance with European Chamber guidelines, another email will be sent to the Working Group prior to the election, with the biographies and motivation letters of all candidates attached. Voting for the election, one vote per company, must be conducted in person at the Working Group meeting. All elected Chairpersons must sign the attached documents, following election.
We will also begin discussions on the 2014-2015 Position Paper. The Position Paper is the European Chamber’s key lobbying document and is widely recognised by the Chinese and European governments, EU institutions, business associations and the media as the authoritative voice of EU business in China. It is used extensively for policy considerations, bilateral discussions, cooperation projects and background information. The value and importance of a well-written and well-represented Maritime Transport Position Paper cannot be overstated. Working Group members are encouraged to review last year’s Maritime Transport Position Paper and identify internally the key issues to be included in the upcoming 2014-2015 edition. Working Group members are requested to come to the Working Group meeting with concerns and recommendations. Please find attached last year’s Maritime Transport Position Paper.
As always, we welcome Working Group members’ suggestions for possible agenda topics and speakers for this and future Working Group meetings.
We encourage as many Working Group members as possible to attend to have their say in the leadership of the Working Group in the year ahead. If you would like to participate in this Working Group meeting, please register online. Alternatively, you can register with Mr. Huang TianLei at tlhuang@europeanchamber.com.cn by Tuesday, 18th March COB. ________________________________________
For more information on the Maritime Transport Working Group or the European Chamber in general, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Bettina Buck at bbuck@europeanchamber.com.cn in Shanghai or Ms. Anna Stalnacke at astalnacke@europeanchamber.com.cn in Beijing.