FIATA - Fédération Internationale des Associations de Transitaires et Assimilés

05/05/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 05/06/2026 02:11

Regional Momentum in Asia-Pacific

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Regional Momentum in Asia-Pacific

FIATA e-flash
5 May 2026

Multimodality & Innovation: FIATA at the International Supply Chain Logistics Expo 2026 in Shanghai

FIATA and China International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFA) participated in the Iinternational Supply Chain Logistics Exposition (ISL Expo) 2026 in Shanghai, reaffirming FIATA's commitment to strengthening resilient, digital, and sustainable global supply chains.

At the opening ceremony, FIATA Director General, Dr Stéphane Graber delivered a keynote alongside distinguished Chinese officials, including former Minister of Transport, Mr Huang Zhendong and former Vice-Minister Mr Xu Zuyuan. In his address, Dr Graber highlighted the growing importance of multimodality and digitalisation in addressing ongoing supply chain disruptions and enabling new trade routes.

Showcasing FIATA's leadership in digital transformation, the Director General underlined key initiatives such as the digital, negotiable FIATA multimodal Transport Bill of Lading (eFBL) and the newly adopted UN Negotiable Cargo Documents Convention, both contributing to greater efficiency, interoperability, and legal certainty across global supply chains.

He also emphasised the strategic value of the ISL Expo as a gateway to Chinese cargo owners and logistics decision-makers, fostering dialogue and collaboration across the supply chain ecosystem. The address further highlighted FIATA's wide range of professional guidance, training programmes, and webinars, and concluded with an invitation to participate in upcoming FIATA events, including the FIATA Region Asia-Pacific Field Meeting in Tianjin during 2-4 June 2026 and the 2026 FIATA World Congress in Milan during the 6-9 October 2026.

Following the opening ceremony, the Director General joined an official visit of the exhibition alongside Mr Huang Zhendong. He also visited the booth of the CIFA, where he met with its Secretary General, Mr Cui Jiaguo, who also attended the opening ceremony.

From left to right: Ms Lucy Bi, General Manager, Shanghai Viewtrans Corporation; Dr Stéphane Graber, FIATA Director General; Mr Cui Jiaguo, CIFA Secretary General; and Rudi Chen, President of Viewtrans Corporation and Break Bulk & General Heavy Cargo Transport Working Committee of CIFA.

Regional Cooperation: CIFA-FIATA Shanghai Symposium Successfully Held

On 23 April 2026, Shanghai hosted the CIFA-FIATA Shanghai Symposium, organised by the China International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFA). Dr Stéphane Graber, FIATA Director General, joined Mr Cui Jiaguo CIFA Secretary General, Mr Shen Xiaobin, President of the Shanghai International Freight Forwarders Association, and representatives from freight forwarding and logistics enterprises across China to discuss global freight forwarding development, deepen international cooperation, and explore new industry opportunities.

The opening address delivered by Mr Cui Jiaguo underlined the importance of strengthening international collaboration under the evolving global trade landscape, reaffirming CIFA's role as a bridge for the internationalisation and professionalisation of the industry. He also announced that the 2026 FIATA-Region Asia-Pacific Field Meeting will be held in Tianjin during 2-4 June 2026.

Dr Graber presented FIATA's global development and reaffirmed the Federation's commitment to deepening collaboration with China's freight forwarding sector. His presentation outlined FIATA's role as the global voice of freight forwarding and its efforts to build a more resilient, digital, and sustainable supply chain. He highlighted the eFBL as a key digitalisation initiative, alongside FIATA's longstanding influence in international policy and its standard-setting role through globally recognised transport documents such as the FBL. Dr Graber stressed that digitalisation, collaboration with global organisations, and continuous capacity-building are essential levers to modernise logistics and strengthen efficiency, trust, and sustainability in global trade. He also underlined the concrete value FIATA delivers to its Association and corporate Members and broader stakeholders, and the Federation's active role in supporting them towards greater efficiency and success.

The symposium highlighted a meaningful opportunity to further promote FIATA's internationally recognised standards among logistics operators in China. While FIATA has developed a robust framework of global standards, participants acknowledged that raising awareness of these standards within the Chinese logistics community represents a shared priority. The discussions pointed to the value of continued and expanded outreach efforts, reinforcing a mutual commitment to supporting Chinese operators in aligning with international best practices, to the benefit of both the sector and global trade at large.

The symposium also featured a professional briefing on dangerous goods transportation and industry compliance, offering practical guidance for enterprises operating internationally. The member interaction session fostered lively discussions on business expansion, compliance management, and resource matchmaking.

Training and Professional Development: Supporting the Next Generation of Logistics Professionals

Pictured with Dr Stéphane Graber, FIATA Director General, are Mr David Xie, Founder of TWTH (left), Mr Jon Chen, Vice-President of TWTH (right), and members of their teams.

In Guangzhou, FIATA further advanced its joint initiative to strengthen youth engagement in sustainable transport. Through its collaboration with the Global Supply Chain Classroom (GSCC), the International Center for Transport Diplomacy (ICTD), and the United Nations Group of Friends of Sustainable Transport, FIATA attended the inauguration of the Asia-Pacific GSCC Office supported by TWTH, where it also delivered a keynote presentation on the digital Negotiable FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading (eFBL) initiative.

The Global Sustainability Supply Chain Student Competition (GS3), recognised by the United Nations, promotes capacity building and leadership development among young professionals. With the continuous support of TWTH, students are able to participate in FIATA's Headquarters Meetings in Geneva and study visits focused on international policymaking at the heart of International Geneva.

The visit provided an opportunity to engage with local authorities and professionals, highlighting FIATA's efforts to digitalise logistics processes and support its members in enhancing resilience, efficiency, and sustainability across the industry.

FIATA expresses its appreciation to TWTH and GSCC for their continued partnership in promoting the next generation of logistics professionals and advancing sustainable transport worldwide.

Advancing Logistics Standards: FIATA and GSTIKC Identify Areas for Cooperation

From left to right: Mr Jon Chen, Vice-President TWTH; Mr Wei Ran, CEO of Shenzhen One Touch Business Service Ltd; Dr Stéphane Graber, FIATA Director General; Mr Xie Hui, Deputy Director General, GSTIKC; and Mr Li Disi, Director of International Cooportation and Exchanger Centre, GSTIKC.

On 14 October 2021, during the Second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference, President Xi Jinping announced the establishment of the Global Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center (GSTIKC). The initiative aims to support global transport development, contribute to the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and strengthen connectivity across infrastructure, trade and investment flows, and international cooperation.

The GSTIKC platform is built on principles of international collaboration, the smooth functioning of logistics supply chains, and the promotion of higher standards in logistics. In this context, GSTIKC and FIATA met on the sidelines of SIL 2026 to explore areas of mutual interest.

Discussions focused in particular on the promotion of a unique multimodal transport document, notably the digital, negotiable FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading (eFBL), as well as on the ratification of the future Negotiable Cargo Documents Convention adopted by United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in 2025.

During the exchange, FIATA Director General, Dr Stéphane Graber, and GSTIKC Deputy Director General, Mr Hui Xie, explored opportunities to strengthen cooperation and dialogue. Both parties expressed a shared ambition to advance resilient, sustainable, and efficient international logistics systems through the development and implementation of international standards and enhanced cooperation.

Digitalisation: FIATA Showcases eFBL in Chengdu

Top: Ms Andrea Tang, FIATA Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs.
Bottom: Mr Murat Seitnepesov, President of the Greater Caspian Association.

FIATA participated in the International Supply Chain and Port Logistics Expo held in Chengdu, China, from 27 to 29 April 2026, where it was represented by Ms Andrea Tang, FIATA Head of Legal and Regulatory Affairs. FIATA hosted a booth at the Expo, alongside the Greater Caspian Association, providing a platform for direct engagement with public authorities, logistics operators, and international partners active across key Eurasian trade corridors.

As part of the Expo programme, FIATA also took part in the 2nd International Port Economy Development Conference on 28 April 2026, organised with the support of the Chengdu Municipal authorities. The Conference served as an implementation oriented forum bringing together government representatives, customs administrations, ports, and logistics stakeholders to advance practical cooperation on trade facilitation, customs and port collaboration, digitalisation, electronic data exchange, risk management, and multimodal transport connectivity.

During the Conference, FIATA delivered a joint keynote with Mr Murat Seitnepesov, President of the Greater Caspian Association, entitled "From Corridor Connectivity to Commercial Connectivity: Negotiable Cargo Documents and the eFBL in Practice for Silk Road Trade." The presentation strongly reinforced FIATA's promotion of the United Nations Negotiable Cargo Documents (NCD) Convention and the electronic, negotiable FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading (eFBL) as practical tools to enhance legal certainty, visibility, and commercial flexibility in multimodal and cross border transport. Drawing on real world use cases conducted using the eFBL along critical trade corridors, the keynote demonstrated how the eFBL is already being applied in East-West trade, supporting secure digital issuance, trusted data exchange, and interoperability with customs and transport stakeholders, while remaining compatible with existing international legal frameworks.

In addition to the formal Conference programme, the visit to Chengdu enabled FIATA to meet with a wide range of active logistics actors and customs representatives in China, further increasing FIATA's visibility and strengthening its capacity to support the industry through dialogue, advocacy, and the promotion of harmonised legal and digital solutions. FIATA's participation in Chengdu confirmed the growing interest in negotiable electronic cargo documents such as the eFBL, and highlighted FIATA's role as a trusted global partner supporting resilient, efficient, and legally sound international supply chains.

FIATA Events: Tianjin to Host 2026 FIATA Asia-Pacific Regional Field Meeting

Tianjin, China, will welcome the freight forwarding and logistics community from 2 to 4 June 2026 for the FIATA-Region Asia-Pacific (RAP) Field Meeting, jointly organised with the China International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFA). Running concurrently with the 4th Tianjin International Shipping Industry Expo, the event will bring together industry leaders, policymakers and logistics professionals from across the region.

Set against the backdrop of a dynamic coastal trade and logistics hub, the meeting will provide a timely platform for dialogue on the priorities shaping the Asia-Pacific logistics landscape. Discussions will focus on digital transformation, supply chain resilience and sustainability, reflecting the broader challenges and opportunities facing the freight forwarding sector today.

Beyond the sessions, the meeting will offer valuable networking opportunities and business matching with leading enterprises from across the global shipping and maritime supply chain, fostering the connections and partnerships that strengthen the FIATA community worldwide.

FIATA warmly encourages all its Members from across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond to secure their participation and contribute to shaping the future of logistics in the region.

Register here for the 2026 FIATA-RAP Field Meeting

Upcoming FIATA Events

FIATA - Fédération Internationale des Associations de Transitaires et Assimilés published this content on May 05, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 06, 2026 at 08:11 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]