Major Chinese maritime technology event Marintec China has moved to calm Greek anger over a near clash of dates after it was rescheduled to next June.
Marintec China event director Stella Fung said the new timing and likely audience of the Shanghai show would not directly clash with Posidonia due to expected lingering Covid-19 travel restrictions.
And she offered a hand of friendship to the Greek maritime community that saw the move as a threat to the celebrated Athens event.
"We believe that the Greek shipping industry — which is highly regarded by the Chinese maritime community — will continue to prosper and China will continue to join hands with Greece during this challenging period," she told TradeWinds.
Short-notice move
This year's planned Marintec China in early December was cancelled at short notice last week, and rescheduled to unconfirmed dates next June. Posidonia takes place from 10 June to 13 June.
Both expos are pivotal biennial commercial sales and networking events, with each hosting more than 2,000 exhibiting companies and tens of thousands of visitors.
Fung did not detail the exact dates, but did say it would be held at "end June-start July 2022".
"The [organising] committee cannot give the exact date as of now as we have only recently been advised not to hold the exhibition," Fung said.
She added that June was the only available solution proposed by both key exhibition venues in Shanghai.
"China is extremely busy with shows that have been moved due to the effects of the pandemic, and there wasn’t another option available for a show of the size of Marintec China."
George Pateras, president of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, earlier described it as "not a welcome development" and urged its organisers to think again.
Posidonia managing director Theo Vokos expressed frustration that Marintec China had not put more time between the events to give participants a greater chance to prepare.
'No friction'
Fung responded that rescheduling was not solely made by the organisers, but was a decision made "in consultation and direction from different departments in the Shanghai Municipal Government, major Chinese companies and industry stakeholders".
She said Marintec China's organising committee did not see any friction with Posidonia or other European and Scandinavian events next year, partly due to expected Covid-19 travel restrictions.
"The two events are serving two different and important markets," she said. "Greece is the most important shipping hub in the Mediterranean, as Shanghai is in Asia.
"Both exhibitors and visitors attending Marintec China are predominantly focusing on Asia and the China markets, and we believe for any interest in the European market in 2022, they will not be attending Marintec China, but will be at Posidonia, Norshipping or SMM."
Further "it is unlikely that many international participants will be able to travel easily to Shanghai next June", Fung said, due to the travel restrictions in China for domestic exhibitors and visitors and restrictive quarantine measures for foreign visitors.
"Or for that matter, Chinese participants to travel outside of China," she added, implying expectations of few Chinese participants to European events next year
