Roadshow for China Int'l Supply Chain Expo held in Vienna

A roadshow for the third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) was held in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday, highlighting bilateral cooperation and featuring the signing of cooperation agreements.

The business forum brought together more than 200 representatives from trade and investment promotion institutions, business associations, and enterprises from China and Austria.

Austrian representatives expressed their expectations for broader cooperation across various fields to jointly address global challenges and uphold the international trade order.

"We are suffering from the new policy in the U.S. since President Trump is in office. And we have big troubles also for our business relations around the globe. And China is an important partner for us. Why? The People's Republic of China is very interesting for free trade, open markets, and this is also our intention in Europe. So, conferences like this are a good milestone on the way to have a better world with free trade around the globe," said Christoph Matznetter, vice president of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.

Last year, Austria's exports to China rose by more than 7 percent, narrowing its trade deficit with China.

Over the past few years, several major Chinese companies have established their European headquarters in Vienna, including the train manufacturer CRRC and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

"Austria is strong for your automobile and machinery manufacturing as well as the chemicals and food processing. And these are the areas that the Chinese business community would like to seek opportunities in the future," said Sun Xiao, secretary general of the China Chamber of International Commerce.

Lin Shunjie, chairman of the China International Exhibition Center Group, emphasized the challenges facing global supply chain cooperation due to recent disruptions. He encouraged Austrian companies to take advantage of the China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) as a gateway to the Chinese market.

"We see in recent years a lot of turbulence of the supply chain cooperation, particularly pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, and even war. I want to invite all Austrian companies to participate in CISCE, the supply chain expo in China, because that's a platform, that's an access for you to go to China, to go to the Chinese market," he said.

The third China International Supply Chain Expo will be held in Beijing from July 16 to 20 this year, focusing on supply chains in advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and other industries.

After its stop in Austria, the Chinese trade delegation will travel to Italy on Sunday, followed by Serbia next Wednesday, where roadshows for the CISCE will take place.

Roadshow for China Int'l Supply Chain Expo held in Vienna

Spring farming, aided by modern agricultural technologies, is picking up pace across China.

In Yulin City, located in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, rice seedlings are waiting to be transplanted. To expedite the planting process, local farmers have adopted modern and efficient agricultural machines to boost productivity.

"Currently, there are over 9,000 mu (about 600 hectares) of well-grown rice seedlings, with around 10,000 mu (about 666.67 hectares) of orders yet to be cultivated. The entire process of seedling cultivation is expected to run until the end of March, and the transplanting of rice seedlings will likely be completed around mid-April," said Zheng Zhiwen, head of an agricultural company.

This year, Yulin plans to transplant over 1.72 million mu (about 114,600 hectares) of early-season rice. As of now, it has deployed over 120,000 sets of agricultural machinery to support early rice production. They have already completed planting on over 54,000 hectares of early-season rice, and are expected to finish all early rice transplanting by early April.

Elsewhere, Xiapu County of east China's Fujian Province is accelerating seedling cultivation operations through automatic seeding machine and smart workshops.

"From seedling cultivation and transplanting to drone-assisted crop protection and harvesting, we have basically achieved full mechanization throughout the entire process," said Sun Chaozhi, head of a seedling cultivation center.

Local farmers are employing rotary tillers enhanced with the homegrown Beidou navigation system to plow the soil in preparations for transplanting.

In north China's Guangping County, Hebei Province, local farmers are benefiting from the Yellow River water diversion project, making full use of this resource to irrigate and nourish their wheat fields.

In Xiantao City, located in central China's Hubei Province, the local power department has dispatched electricians to the fields to carry out thorough inspections of irrigation facilities, ensuring readiness for spring plowing by swiftly detecting and mitigating potential risks.

Spring farming aided by modern technologies pick up pace across China