Logistics conference between China, Central and Eastern European countries held in Yibin

The 4th Conference of Liaison Officers of the China-CEEC Logistics Cooperation Secretariat kicked off on Friday in Yibin City of southwest China's Sichuan Province, advancing the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Themed on "Sharing New Opportunities for Industrial Development, Promoting New International Logistics Channels", the three-day conference aims to continue promoting exchanges and development between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) in air logistics, China-Europe Railway Express and the facilitation of ports, and to foster cooperation between China and CEECs in the fields of power batteries, photovoltaics and new energy vehicles.

The conference is hosted by China's Ministry of Transport and the government of Sichuan Province. More than 200 attendees, including officials from relevant foreign embassies in China, guests from international organizations, entrepreneurs, and experts and scholars, participated in the conference.

"Based on this logistics cooperation conference between Central and Eastern European countries, we have established a friendly cooperative relationship with the Bratislava Airport in Slovakia. During this conference, we also signed a memorandum of cooperation within the conference framework. We hope to open a regular cargo liner route between Chengdu and the Bratislava Airport," said Xu Renji, deputy general manager, Strategic Planning Department, Sichuan Airlines Logistics Company.

Since the founding of the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism in 2012, bilateral economic and trade relations have become increasingly close, with a significant increase in bilateral trade volume.

Logistics conference between China, Central and Eastern European countries held in Yibin

The 2024 Shanghai Tower Vertical Marathon, the world's tallest and largest vertical race, took place on Sunday, attracting more than 2,000 athletes from over 20 countries and regions.

The event was held in Shanghai Tower, China's tallest skyscraper. Participants in the full individual race had to climb 3,398 steps to reach the finish line at the 119th floor at a height of 552 meters.

Olympic cycling champion Zhong Tianshi led a group of front runners to start from the ground floor at 08:20, and then the individual full course runners set off in turn at 30-second intervals.

In the men's competition, Japan's Ryoji Watanabe emerged victorious, completing the climb in 18 minutes. The Women's Individual Championship was claimed by Croatia's Tea Faber, who conquered the stairs in 21 minutes and 26 seconds.

"[It's a] very very long race. The track is very long. I had to keep my mind calm to climb my way up," said Watanabe.

"This is my fourth time here, and I won two times. I like Shanghai," said Italian female mountain runner Valentina Belotti who took the second place in the race.

As a self-owned brand event created by Shanghai, the Shanghai Tower Vertical Marathon was founded in 2017 and is currently the top-level event with highest competition building in the world.

In order to motivate more Chinese runners and marathon enthusiasts to participate, the event also set up a special award for Chinese athletes and the shorter "fun race" for amateur runner, which took climbers to the 22nd floor.

"I kept climbing without a stop. It's really a self-challenge, giving me the strength to go higher," said Huang Jing, a participant.

Int'l elite vertical marathoners contest in China's tallest skyscraper