From 2002 the China International Railway Conference for Urban & Intercity Transit (CIRC) and the Rail+Metro China Show have formed two pillars that together have shown the way through 18 years of full throttle railway development, playing key witness to the country’s transportation revolution.
The CIRC Conference has benefited from the endorsement of APEC’s Transport Working Group (TPT-WG) from 2018, and under the guidance of the Chinese Ministry of Transport and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has promoted collaboration and knowledge sharing of best practice in the mass transit field between APEC’s 21 member economies.
With the launch of China’s “One Belt One Road” global economic strategy, China’s advance in rail transit technology manufacturing and railway infrastructure construction has become far and away the shining light of economic development for export. Originating in Shanghai, CIRC and Rail+Metro China follow the city of Shanghai’s unique driving principles of “Broadening Expertise, Pursuing Excellence, Enlightening Wisdom, and Humble Attitude”, which guide the direction of our efforts that are embodied in the concepts of: Cooperation, Innovation, Regeneration, and Civilization.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), established in 1989, is an important organization that promotes economic integration, regional trade and development in the Asia-Pacific. APEC currently has 21 members, namely China, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
APEC’s organizational structure is divided into 5 levels, including: 1. Informal leaders’ meetings; 2. Dual ministerial meetings: held annually before the informal leaders’ meetings, with the foreign or trade ministers of each member attending (except Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong, China); 3. Senior Officials Meeting: generally composed of members of the deputy ministry, bureau or ambassadorial level; 4. Committees and working groups, with the Senior Officials Meeting having 4 committees, namely: the Committee for Trade and Investment (CTI), the Economic Commission (EC), the Economic and Technical Cooperation Sub-Committee (ESC) and the Budget Management Committee (BMC) of the Senior Officials Association. The Senior Officials Association also has 9 working groups and 3 policy-level expert groups to carry out professional activities and cooperation; 5. Secretariat: established in Singapore in January 1993 to provide support and services for APEC activities at all levels.
