Speech on 2016 Vietnam-Asian Silk Culture Festival

Ladies and gentlemen, my dear friends of silk industry,

Good afternoon!

This is spring in March, and blossom is everywhere. Today, we are very pleased to come together in Hoi An-the famous historic city in Vietnam, and invited to participate in the 2016 Vietnam-Asian Silk Culture Festival, held by Hoi An Silk Village-one of the founding members of International Silk Union(ISU). First of all, on behalf of the ISU, I present warm congratulations on the opening of 2016 Vietnam-Asian Silk Culture Festival.

Taking this chance，please allow me to introduce the overall situation and preliminary future work plan of the ISU.

The union is an international and specialized non-profit organization in the silk industry which is voluntarily constituted by the enterprises and related organizations of all silk manufacturing and consuming countries. The union aims to jointly explore the policies and development strategies of silk industry, to promote communication on the silk industry between countries, to promote win-win cooperation and fair trade, to promote the comprehensive progress and sustainable development of the international silk industry on the production, trade, scientific research, information, culture, human resources, consumption, etc. The ISU is a cooperation and exchange platform for the international silk industry.

On October 23^th, 2015, the Preparatory Meeting and Assembly of International Silk Union was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, and more than 70 enterprises and organizations from 13 countries and regions including China, Vietnam, Japan, India, Thailand, Italy, France, Brazil etc. attended the meeting. The meeting introduced the preparations for the ISU, voted and passed the ISU constitution, and elected 34 executive director units, chairman, vice-chairman units and secretary-general. I am honored to be elected the chairman of the union. Zhejiang Cathaya Group, as the chairman unit, is a silk-based enterprise group with 66 years of history, and the total imports and exports in 2015 are $ 920 million. Zhejiang Cathaya Group is the largest silk merchandise export enterprise in China.

The preliminary arrangement for the future work of the union has mainly the following aspects.

1.   Complete the registration work of the ISU as soon as possible

The registration place of the ISU is arranged in Hangzhou at present. After the Preparatory Meeting and Assembly, the chairman unit and the union secretariat contacted and consulted with relevant departments of Chinese government many times to arrange the registration work, and made some progress. Next, the union will continue to strive to complete the registration work, according to the fundamental materials produced on the Preparatory Meeting and Assembly, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations of People's Republic of China.

2.   Establish the platform for information release, exchange, and contact

The member unit contact network of ISU has been initially established, and gradually perfected. The union secretariat regularly publishes working progress and upcoming events to each member unit, seeks comments and suggestions, responds promptly to the requirements raised by members to enhance exchanges, and improves the motivation and engagement of each member unit. We hope that all member units can offer advice on the work of the union, so as to promote the healthy and stable development of the ISU.

The main information release platform of the ISU is World Silk Website (www.worldsilk.com.cn). The website is sponsored by the ISU, and hosted by the union secretariat. World Silk Website now is the only silk website in both Chinese and English language in the global. The website sets the columns of the silk news, silk enterprise, market data, policy information, transaction garden, silk university, scientific research, thematic comments, and silk encyclopedia etc. The website aims to promote cooperation and development of silk industry in the world, through publishing industry news, exchanging silk culture, promote resource deals, service and industrial upgrading. At present, the source of information is relatively simple, and not broad enough, so we hope that all member units to provide national silk industry information, industry data, and timely policy information, and release on the World Silk Website. We also welcome professional silk websites of all member countries and units link to the World Silk Website, and truly realize information sharing and exchange of silk industry among countries.

3.   Make efforts to develop new members of the ISU

After the Preparatory Meeting and Assembly, although ISU does not start to absorb new members, but at present, there are already 8 units from China and Switzerland applying to join the union initiatively. According to relevant provisions of the ISU constitution, after the union secretariat preliminary review on the applicant unit, full discussion on the union office meeting, and audit and vote of the union executive director units, we agree the 8 units become the second batch of member of the ISU. The union sincerely welcomes more and more silk industry elites and experts at home and abroad to join the ISU, and jointly create a better future for the world silk industry.

4.   Establish national silk industry database among member units

The ISU will gradually establish a database including sericulture production, silk production, consumption, import and export, industry conditions etc. and the data sources must be guaranteed provenance, true and reliable, with a reference value. Analyze, compare and gradually explore the data information, and create conditions for the official release the annual report on the development of the international silk industry, so as to serving the member units and the silk industry. We hope that all member units can actively cooperate and provide official silk industry data or the data released by representative industry organizations in your country. We work together and make contributions to the development of the world silk industry.

5.   Promote exchanges and cooperation of the silk industry among countries

The important work of the ISU is to promote exchanges and cooperation of the silk industry and enterprises among countries. So, the union will be based on the need to carry out a variety of activities for regular or irregular, including mutual visits to countries of member units, silk seminar, silk fair, and silk forum etc. meanwhile, to promote new technologies, new products, new standards, and new brands in the silk industrial chain. Promote trade and investment, promote cultural exchanges, and enhance cooperation opportunities through different platforms and models. The 2016 Vietnam-Asian Silk Culture Festival is an opportunity to enhance mutual understanding, cooperation and exchanges of international silk enterprises. Silk enterprises from China, Italy, Southeast Asian countries get together in Hoi An to understand the situation of Vietnamese silk industry, sense the history and culture of Vietnamese silk, explore possible cooperation among silk enterprises in Vietnam and other countries, and also promote the exchanges of the silk industry among countries.

The healthy and stable development of the ISU depends on the strong support of our member units among countries, and all members together we will take our work seriously, and make due contributions to the development of the silk industry.

Finally, I wish the 2016 Vietnam-Asian Silk Culture Festival a complete success and the prosperity of the world silk industry! Ladies and gentlemen, I sincerely wish you the good journey, good health, and happiness!

Thank you!