Hong Kong Permanent Secretary for Economic Development, Ms Sandra Lee, led the Hong Kong delegation to Thailand's Logistics & Software Fair on July 20-23, 2004. HKSC Chairman, Willy Lin, far right.

The Council lends its support to Government promotions for the Hong Kong port and strengthening Hong Kong's role as a logistics hub in the region. On May 27-29, 2004, the Council participated at Hong Kong Week in Chongqing. The event was a joint initiative of the Beijing Office of the HKSAR Government and the Chongqing Municipal Government. An introduction of the Council and its view on the future of Hong Kong as a logistics hub was presented.

On July 20-23, 2004, the Council coordinated Hong Kong's participation at the Logistics & Software Fair in Thailand. A Hong Kong delegation consisting of industry representatives for logistics, port operations, shipping lines, air cargo operations, and others, attended the Logistics & Software Fair, met with senior Thai Government officials and industry leaders, and visited logistics facilities in Thailand. The delegation was led by Hong Kong's Permanent Secretary for Economic Development, Ms Sandra Lee.

On November 24, 2004, the Thai National Shippers' Council (TNSC) invited HKSC Chairman, Willy Lin, and Executive Director, Sunny Ho, to brief representatives of the Thai government and industrialists on Hong Kong's course of logistics development, in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting and briefing is part of the agenda under the MOU action plan of the TNSC and the HKSC that was agreed upon and signed in May 2004.

In cooperation with the Hong Kong Logistics Management Staff Association, the Council had organized a visit to the Ministry of Communication, Ministry of Commerce and Customs in Beijing on October 20-24, 2004. Some 16 prominent figures from logistics industry joined the visit.

Meanwhile, a special Federation of ASEAN Shippers' Councils (FASC) meeting was called in Singapore in April 2004 to discuss Terminal Handling Charges (THC) and the response of shippers to the Transpacific Stabilisation Agreement which had given various shippers' councils the component list of THC. The new Chairman of the Intra-Asia Discussion Agreement, Kinichi Hirayama, showed good faith by attending the meeting and introducing himself.

At the 23rd Tripartite Shippers' Councils Meeting, members agreed to change the name of the meeting to Asia Shippers' Meeting. The 1st Asian Shippers' Meeting was held in Busan on July 17-18, 2004

At the 23rd Tripartite Shippers' Councils Meeting, members agreed to change the name of the meeting to Asian Shippers' Meeting. Asian shippers held their 1st Asian Shippers' Meeting in Busan on June 17-18, 2004. During the meeting, shippers reiterated their common demand for simple tariff and expressed concern over the increasing number of other charges and surcharges. Shippers agreed there should be open dialogue with carriers on their real needs and negotiate agreements based on simple freight rates.

China Shippers' Association meeting in July 2005 in Beijing

The 11th Annual Meeting of the Tripartite Shippers' Meeting was held for the first time in Shanghai, China. The meeting comprises the tripartite of the US National Industrial Transportation League (NITL), the European Shippers' Council and the Japan Shippers' Council. In attendance also were the FASC, and the shippers' councils of Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, China, and Thailand. The representatives discussed the state of the freight transportation industry and the new and bolder challenges they are facing today. They reiterated their aim of seeking a competitive, safe, secure and efficient transportation environment.

At the 27th AGM of the Federation of ASEAN Shippers' Council (FASC) held in Singapore from September 12-14, 2004, the Asian Shippers' Council (ASC) was formed. State Minister of Finance and Transport of Singapore, Lim Hwee Hwa, formally declared the formation of the ASC. John Y Lu, Chairman of the Singapore National Shippers' Council, was elected the first chairman of the ASC, with Willy Lin, chairman of HKSC, as vice chairman.

The Asian Shippers' Council consists of five conveyors, each representing North Asia, Greater China areas, ASEAN, Oceania and ASCOBIPS respectively that would form the Steering Committee of ASC. The ASC signified further solidarity of Asian shippers and organized actions on matters that were concerns of all.

In April 3-4, 2005, representatives of the ASC were invited to make a presentation at the Asian Shipowners' Forum's Shipping Economics Review Committee (SERC) at the ASF's meeting in Penang, Malaysia. This was the first time that the forum had opened a dialogue with shippers. ASC was led by John Y Lu, Chairman and ASF SERC was led by Takao Kusakari, Chairman. In a joint statement, the ASC and SERC agreed that each side was committed to working to establish constructive relations between shippers and carriers in Asia through sincere and amicable dialogue. Both organizations recognized the interdependence of shippers and carriers within the global trading system. They frankly recognised that there is ample room for improvement in the relationship between shippers and carriers in Asia and such improvement would be a high priority. It was agreed that they would work together on possible avenues to facilitate a partnership approach to trade issues.

Representatives of the Asian Shippers' Council met with the Asian Shipowners' Forum's Shipping Economics Review Committee (SERC) in April 2005 in Penang, Malaysia.

The 4th Shanghai, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau shippers organization working group meeting was held on June 12-14, 2005 in Shenzhen. Apart from the four areas, there were shippers representative groups as well from Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Xiamen. The shippers discussed issues of mutual interest, including freight rates and the state of the freight market, tariffs and strengthening the organisations of shippers. It was decided that the shippers represented there would form an alliance that would be formalised at a later date.