The Supply-chain Management and China's Modern Logistics Forum, Organized by the Qingdao City Logistics Association, is being held in East China's Qingdao City as part of the APEC Small & Me dium Enterprises Technology Conference and Fair. The forum is sponsored by the China Commu nications and Transportation Association and the China Logistics Alliance Network.

　　Many industry experts and logistics company executives attended the forum held from May 18 to 19 and shared opinions.

　　Chen Ping, president of Beijing ZJS Express Co Ltd, highlighted a scientific development for the logistics industry in a speech. Chen said Chinese companies should emphasize self-innovation while seeking development. To achieve this goal, businesses should adopt a down-to-earth attitude and learn from advanced foreign experience.

　　He also emphasized the importance of logistics companies' distribution networks, which he says are part of companies' intellectual property rights and are long-term intangible assets.

　　Chen called for the establishment of industrial alliances to optimize resource allocation and reduce costs for clients. He noted client costs mainly means opportunity, risk and security costs, not the price of services logistics companies provide.

　　Yang Shaopeng, board chairman of privately owned SITC Maritime Group Co Ltd, one of China's major logistics companies, listed challenges and opportunities facing Chinese logistics businesses, especially small and medium-sized private companies.

　　Yang said Chinese enterprises' advantages lie mainly in low human resources and operating costs and flexible mechanisms. Disadvantages are a lack of capital, talent, information systems and service networks which impede development. He called for the government and industrial organizations to give more support, mainly in policy and financing, to the private sector -, an important part of the logistics Rong Xiandong ()