International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS Countries was Approved
—First 2017 Meeting of BRICS Business Council Secretariat was Held in Beijing
The first 2017 meeting of BRICS Business Council Secretariat was held in Beijing Cosco Shipping Building on Feb. 10th, 2017. Shen Dan, Vice Director of Department of International Economic Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the People's Republic of China attended the meeting. There were representatives from BRICS Business Council Units, BRICS BC Working Group Leader Units and partial Working Group Member Units, such as, Sinopec Corp, Bank of China Limited (BOC), China United Network Communications Corporation Limited (China Unicom), China National Machinery Industry Corporation (SINOMACH), China Railway Group Limited, Beijing ARC Xinxing Science & Technology Co., Ltd., China Paper Association (CPA), China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), etc. Dr. Liu Zhenying, Chairman of Beijing ARC Xinxing Science & Technology Co., Ltd. was also invited to attend the meeting.
China has been the rotating President of BRICS countries since Jan. 1st, 2017, and will hold the 9th Regular Meeting for BRICS Leaders in early September, 2017 in Xiamen, Fujian Province. China Section of BRICS Business Council has conducted preparation work with great support of various units, made working scheme in 2017 and got scheme replies from MOFA. This meeting aimed to discuss specific work arrangement in 2017 and division of work for each unit and make communication on relevant matters under the guideline of latest directives by Central Party and MOFA.
At first, Xu Chao, Secretary General, delivered the replies of MOFA for working scheme in 2017. MOFA gave approval of this scheme in principle and presented concrete opinions. International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS Countries and Joint Declaration on Unification and Harmony of Standards among BRICS Countries gained approval of Central Leaders. Shen Dan, Vice Director of Department of International Economic Affairs of MOFA, expressed the relevant directives from the superiors and made explanations for the replies of MOFA.
During the meeting, attendees made discussion on specific work arrangement in 2017 and division of work for each unit. Each relevant unit gave many suggestions on work assignment, introduced the work progress related to the unit and proposed plans for next step. Each Council Unit reported the situation of preparation work. Zhang Zheng, Bureau Chief of Sinopec Corp and representative of Energy and Green Economy Working Group, introduced Joint Declaration on Unification and Harmony of Standards, gave considerations on establishment work of BRICS E-commerce platform and presented relevant work progress; Li Chong, General Manager of International Business Department of China Unicom and Deputy Secretary General of the Council, presented the preparation work of Deregulation Working Group and gave suggestions on visa facilitation and digital economy forum; Wang Yuqi, Minister of Business Development Department of SINOMACH and Deputy Secretary General of the Council, introduced the preparation work of Manufacturing Working Group; Senior manager of Finance Department of BOC represented Financial Service Working Group to give brief report on work progress and work plan and to discuss the important issue of cooperation with New Development Bank. Then, Yang Xinping, Vice General Manager of International Business Department of China Railway Group Limited (Leader Unit of Infrastructure Working Group), Dr. Liu Zhenying, Chairman of Beijing ARC Xinxing Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (Leader Unit of Skills Development Working Group), and Wang Huatong, Vice Director of Comprehensive Business Department of CPA (Leader Unit of Agricultural Economy Working Group) also reported relevant work situations respectively.
Dr. Liu Zhenying, Chairman of Beijing ARC Xinxing Science & Technology Co., Ltd., represented that the core issue of Skills Development Working Group work was the international environment construction. This work will be conducted from two aspects, holding BRICS Skills Development and Technology Innovation Competition and building International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS Countries. BRICS Skills Development and Technology Innovation Competition is divided into 5 parts: BRICS Maker Competition, China Intelligent Manufacturing Challenge (CIMC), Intelligent Manufacturing and 3D Printing Skills Competition, Worldskills and Machinery & Electricity Skills Competition and IIW•CWS•Arc Cup 2017 International Welding Competition. BRICS Business Council Skills Development Working Groups plan to hold BRICS Skills Development and Technology Innovation Competition from May to August, in 2017 so as to promote BRICS skills development and technology exchanges, implement the spirit of signed MoU about the cooperation of skills development, build the international cooperation platform of skills development and vocational skills standards for Belt & Road and BRICS Countries, solve the problems of international environment construction, such as skills training, certification and standards faced by Chinese enterprises in the process of going out, and provide high-level intuitive learning and exchange opportunities for BRICS highly-skilled professionals by the cultivation way of holding competitions. Besides, International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS Countries will be established with founding members of BRICS countries to promote the development of education, skills, training among Belt and Road and BRICS countries effectively by building an international organization and international exchange platform of technical exchanges, standard coordination, skills training and certification among Belt & Road and BRICS countries and by establishing human resources management system for Belt & Road and BRICS countries, which is a kind of infrastructure construction for Chinese enterprises for going-out and also a kind of international environment construction for training certification and standard coordination and unification for Belt and Road countries. Dr. Liu Zhenying hoped relevant units from various industries to participate in the Alliance so as to push forward the Alliance construction.
BRICS Business Council, an international organization, is composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and was established in 2013 in Durban, South Africa. With care and guidance of President Xi Jinping in person, BRICS Business Council is one of the important mechanisms of developing BRICS cooperation. China Section of BRICS Business Council sets up seven industry working groups, namely, Infrastructure Working Group, Energy and Green Economy Working Group, Manufacturing Working Group, and Skills Development Working Group, etc. Beijing ARC Xinxing Science & Technology Co., Ltd. is the leader unit of Skills Development Working Group with the leader of Dr. Liu Zhenying (Chairman of Beijing ARC Company) is responsible for organizing activities for BRICS skills cooperation and development and relevant implementation work. Under the framework of BRICS Business Council, Beijing ARC Company will focus on Belt and Road strategic layout and be committed to build and improve the International environment of Belt and Road Science and Technology Innovation so as to push forward the Skills Development among Belt & Road and BRICS countries and advance the process of global industrialization together, leaving China Marks.