IRF Geneva present for the Belt and Road Initiative at the WTC China

IRF Geneva was one of the key supporting organisations of the World Transport Convention (WTC 2017) held on 4th-6th June 2017 in Beijing, China. Hosted by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and organised by China Highway and Transportation Society (CHTS) the convention had as its theme “Green and Integrated Development through Innovations” and attracted 1,820 papers from all over the world and 5,000 delegates. Kiran Kapila, IRF chairman, delivered a keynote address in the opening
December 18, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Kiran Kapila, IRF chairman, delivered a keynote address in the opening ceremony for the Belt and Road Initiative at the WTC China

1201 IRF Geneva was one of the key supporting organisations of the World Transport Convention (WTC 2017) held on 4th-6th June 2017 in Beijing, China. Hosted by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and organised by China Highway and Transportation Society (CHTS) the convention had as its theme “Green and Integrated Development through Innovations” and attracted 1,820 papers from all over the world and 5,000 delegates.

Kiran Kapila, IRF chairman, delivered a keynote address in the opening ceremony which was inaugurated by Wan Gang, minister of Science and Technology and by Dai Dongchang, vice-minister of Transport. In his address, Kapila stressed the importance that the concept of “connectivity” has today and spoke briefly about India’s Smart Cities initiatives. The future he envisioned is that of lesser and lesser human intervention and the growth of automation.

Connectivity is indeed at the heart of the new and ambitious Chinese initiative known as “The Belt and Road Initiative” or the new Silk Road. A dedicated roundtable was convened on the 4th June (one day before the opening of WTC). IRF Geneva was represented by Susanna Zammataro, IRF executive director. The roundtable discussed in particular the establishment of the International Transport Alliance (ITA), a platform to enhance multi-level and wide-ranging cooperation between the countries along the Belt and Road. The importance of harmonised technical standards and procurement procedures and contracts was one of the points Zammataro stressed during the roundtable.

The proposal for initiating the establishment of the ITA was presented and endorsed in the plenary of WTC.

WTC 2017 was also the opportunity to discuss Chinese participation at the IRF World Meeting (14th-17th November 2017) and collaboration plans with CHTS for 2018.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IRF supports the launch of the SuM4All Global Roadmap of Action
    February 6, 2020
    On October 23rd, SuM4All launched - at the World Bank In Washington - the Global Roadmap of Action Toward Sustainable Mobility, (GRA).
    Read More
  • IRF deploys eLearning solutions to promote best practices
    May 4, 2020
    The International Road Federation was founded in 1948 with a mission to promote the exchange of best practices and the transfer of technologies from those who have it to those who need it. Seven decades later, this mission remains just as relevant, and at a time when many transportation professionals are unable to travel, IRF is redoubling efforts to develop eLearning programs which allow professionals to access a pool of knowledge resources without the need to travel.
    Read More
  • IRF will work with Shell to improve road safety around the Hazira port in India
    October 19, 2017
    IRF Geneva is collaborating with Shell India to improve road safety in the Hazira Port Area in India. The Hazira port area is an industrial area that is home to large companies such as Shell, Reliance Petrochemicals, Essar Steel, Larsen and Toubro, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). This area is also the location for a port operated by Adani, and this port is one of the most important ports in India for the handling of containers. The area also supplies almost 80% of the total demand for gas in India
    Read More
  • Ammann opens factory in Zhangjiagang, China
    August 22, 2023
    The 50,000m² plant, which includes 5,000m² dedicated to administration, has the capacity to produce 80-100 asphalt-mixing plants annually.
    Read More

Highlighted Content