The conference’s main pillars of discussion were shipping, transport and ports and the main objective was the exchange of views and the networking between leading representatives of the two countries. There was a strong participation of High-ranking delegations from the political and business leadership of the two countries with the Minister of Maritime and Insular Policy, Christos Stylianidis, and the Minister of Development, Kostas Skrekas, from the Greek side, and the Chinese Ambassador to Greece, Xiao Junzheng and representatives of the maritime business community, agencies and analysts.
Professor Michael Sfakianakis participated in the second panel of the conference on "New technologies become key factors in sustainable development. It is a one-way street, he observed, to move towards the green transition of shipping and the supply chain with sustainable actions and to deal with climate change, which creates huge problems in our country as well. Everyone wants it and considers it necessary, but the average citizen must know that this transition has a cost for him. Still he estimated that although the cost will be worrying, ultimately the average citizen would aide this transition realising the long term benefits.

Innovative solutions in digital transformation and new technologies will reduce costs to an acceptable level. Moreover, it has been proven that the market is more amenable to the green transition than the states themselves. However, given the major crises the world is facing in recent years, it is extremely difficult to predict when the transition to the zero pollution vision of 2050 will be completed.
The University of Piraeus, the academic institution of one of the most important ports-gateways of freight transport in Europe, teaches supply chain management through a Postgraduate Diploma of the Department of Industrial Management and Technology, specializing in Logistics Management. The aim is to provide specialized and targeted knowledge of the highest level, based on a modern scientific background and the Laboratory of Innovative and Sustainable Supply Chain Management of the Department of Industrial Management and Technology.
This panel included Dr. Iraklis Charalambidis, Distinguished Chair Professor, Dalian Maritime University PR. China and distinguished professors from China who joined remotely and was coordinated by the President of the Department of Maritime Studies of the University of Piraeus Prof. Ioannis Theotokas and Juliet Mann, CGTN (China Global Television Network).
The conference, at the Divani Apollon Palace Thalasso & Spa Hotel, had official languages Greek and Chinese, with simultaneous interpretation in English.