According to the decision approved by the First Extraordinary Session of the APSN Council this May, the APEC Port Services Network Conference on Port Development is scheduled to be held from November 2-3, 2009 in Shenzhen, China. The theme of the conference is "APEC Port Industry in the Context of Global Financial Crisis: Cooperation and Development".

Given current international financial crisis, the global port and port-related industries have been suffering badly from the impacts of such a crisis. Moreover, such adverse impacts are expected to continue into the future for these industries. There is thus an actual need for all APEC member economies to work closely together against the crisis with a view to helping the port and port-related industries in the region to walk out of the difficulties at the earliest opportunity.

The conference will be hosted by the Ministry of Transport of People's Republic of China and co-hosted by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People's Republic of China and Shenzhen Municipal People's Government. Senior government officials like Ministers or Ministerial officials, leaders from port and port-related public administrations and private sectors, representatives from relevant international organizations, academia and financial institutions will gather together to discuss and share views on hot topics including but not limited to:

• Global Financial Crisis and Its Impacts on Port Industry;
• Response to Crisis -Cooperation and Development;
• Future Trends of the Integrated Transportation Systems and Supply Chain and the Role of Port and Shipping Industries therein;
• Greener, Safer and Securer Port and Shipping Industries.

If you are interested in the conference, would like to share your experience and expertise in the industry, or want to become involved in the discussion on the impact of regulations and policies on various maritime industries, you will find your participation in this conference quite rewarding.

Should you have any query about the conference or your participation, please do not hesitate to contact the APSN Secretariat, as follows:

Ms. Wu Shu
Executive Assistant to the Secretary-General
APSN Secretariat
Beijing
China
Tel: 8610 6444 8807,
Fax: 8610 6444 8807,
Email: wushu@wti.ac.cn