On April 16-19, as Chair of the 2018 APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Working Group on Sustainable Development, Mr. Frank Ning, Chairman of Sinochem Group headed for Tokyo, Japan to attend the Second Meeting of the 2018 ABAC. During this time, Chairman Frank Ning presided over the ABAC Sustainable Development Working Group meeting and submitted a proposal titled Address Air Pollution in the Asia-Pacific Shipping and Promote a Clean Shipping in the Region. He also attended the Chair’s preparatory meeting, the opening ceremony, the Chair's summary meeting and the closing ceremony.
In the proposal, Chairman Frank Ning pointed out that maritime transport in the Asia-Pacific region played a decisive role in international trade. However, with its positive promotion of regional and global economic development, it has also caused serious air pollution. The proposal analyzed in detail the main ways to reduce the emission of fuel pollutants from marine ships, including the use of low-sulfur fuel oil, LNG (liquefied natural gas), and cleaning/filtration equipment. It was proposed in terms of increasing policy support, investing more into technological R&D and strengthening international cooperation. ABAC representatives unanimously approved the proposal.
In addition, Chairman Frank Ning organized representatives from the Sustainable Development Working Group to hold in-depth discussion on topics such as “food security,” “energy security and green growth,” “income growth of the middle and low-income groups,” “inclusive development of the mining industry” and “smart cities.”
During the sidelines of the meeting, Chairman Frank Ning visited Sinochem Japan Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as Sinochem Japan) where he extended his greetings to front-line staff and listened to a work report. Chairman Frank Ning noted that Sinochem Japan as a bridge and platform for Sinochem to conduct business in Japan bears strategic significance. It should pay close attention to and promote cooperation in high-tech area between Sinochem and Japanese companies in the future. Subsequently, Chairman Frank Ning and his delegation inspected Panasonic's sustainable smart town project in Fujisawa where they learned about the project's operating experiences in energy, security and safety, transportation, health and community.
