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

The United States military hit a civil factory in Yemen's Hodeidah city amid its fresh round of airstrikes on the Houthi-held Red Sea port city on Monday night.

The privately-owned iron and steel plant, located in the Salif district north of Hodeidah city, was targeted by 12 U.S. missiles.

Footage recorded by a China Media Group (CMG) correspondent showed that the roof of the factory completely collapsed after the airstrike, and broken bricks and tiles, as well as shrapnel from artillery shells, could be seen everywhere.

The factory had to stop production due to the damage to the equipment.

"The attack on this plant will leave 250 to 300 workers unemployed, with material losses estimated between 13 million to 14 million U.S. dollars," said Saleh Atifa, Houthi-appointed head of Hodeidah's industrial department.

The U.S. military claimed that they were targeting military facilities, but the steel plant was completely an independent civilian plant, according to the Houthis.

"The brutal hostility of the U.S. military targets civilian facilities and other key facilities. Like the steel plant you see here, it belongs neither to the state nor to the military, nor to the security department or the Houthis. It is an independent civilian factory," said Hodeidah governor Abdullah Atifi.

Over the past two days, dozens of Houthi-controlled military sites, as well as dozens of residential houses, have been targeted and bombed by U.S. fighter jets across the Yemeni capital city of Sanaa, and several other northern and western provinces under Houthi control.

The tensions in the Red Sea are a visible manifestation of the spillover effects of the latest round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict centered on the Gaza Strip.

The renewed conflict in the Red Sea comes after Israel halted the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza Strip on March 2, coinciding with the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

On Tuesday, the Houthi group announced that it would resume launching attacks against any Israeli ship in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait until the crossings of the Gaza Strip are reopened and aid is allowed in.

US military hits civil steel plant in Hodeidah, Yemen