Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory letter to the 2021 North Bund Forum on international shipping, which opened Thursday in Shanghai.

The shipping industry is an important guarantee for the development of international trade, and an important link for friendly exchanges among people worldwide, Xi said in the letter.

He hailed the positive role of the shipping industry in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting trade recovery and maintaining the stability of industrial and supply chains globally.

China is willing to work with other countries to overcome the difficulties, adapt to the new development trend of green, low-carbon and intelligent shipping industry, and deepen international cooperation in shipping affairs, Xi said.

China will make all-out efforts to restore and ensure the smooth flow of global industrial and supply chains, promote the healthy development of the international shipping industry, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity, he added.

Themed with "Openness and inclusiveness, innovation and reform, and win-win cooperation: embracing future development and restructuring of international shipping," the forum is co-hosted by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Ministry of Transport and will close on Friday.