Annual Report 2021

Chairman’s Statement CHINA MERCHANTS PORT HOLDINGS COMPANY LIMITED 12 of nurturing and supporting hinterland industries, and accelerate the building of integrated development business of “Port -Park- City” in a mature model to realise the port’s “land economy”. Regarding innovative development, the Group will strengthen technology empowerment to create a port ecosystem with innovation. Taking technology innovation as an entry point, the Group will explore comprehensive port service new model to promote the high-quality transformation and upgrading of the Group through active cooperation with relevant entities to realise technology empowerment. By the way of building up Research Institute of CMPort for Technological Innovation and Development, the Group will extend its business to the upstream and downstream of the industrial and value chain, and cultivate new business models. The Group will also enhance the operating effectiveness and efficiency of existing assets through innovation in technology and management, and increase the level of intelligentisation and the capability of production and operation of its terminals via the “CMCore” platform. By the use of “CM ePort” platform, the Group will innovate its business models to provide better customer service at the ports. By building an intelligent management platform, the Group will also enhance the comprehensive management ability thru information collection and analysis, as well as optimisation of procedures. In respect of capital operation, the Group will continue to review existing assets and explore structural optimisation options to reduce investment risks. In line with the strategies of the Group and promotion of dual-wheel drive model of “asset management + capital operation”, starting from the direction of “from asset-heavy to asset-light” and “from quantity-oriented to quality-oriented”, the Group will strive to improve capital operation plans, asset allocation and endogenous growth in order to enhance returns to its shareholders. In term of operation management, the Group will continue to strengthen management and control optimisation for improvement of management efficiency. By continuously deepening the smart operation management platform system, the Group will improve the management standards of operations, and accelerate the development of an international operation and management system that sustainably creates value to build up a value-oriented management headquarters. As for marketing and commerce, the Group will continue to strengthen the cooperation with major shipping companies and enhance the interaction with end-customers. Meanwhile, the Group will construct a collaborative platform, improve the construction of the market commerce system, and expand the coverage of the logistics supply chain endogenously and externally via shaping the integration, platformisation and digitalisation. 2022 is the year of deepening China’s implementation of the “14 th Five-Year Plan” and the 2035 vision. As the first country to realise a rapid economic recovery during the pandemic, China will continue to maintain its strong resilience of economic development and stimulate its huge potential for economic growth, and continue to make remarkable contributions to the recovery of the global economy. In the coming year, China will adhere to the general keynote of seeking progress in a stable manner in its economic work, continue to implement sound and effective macro policies, deepen structural reforms on the supply side by means of smoothing out the domestic circulation, linking up production, distribution, circulation and consumption, further stimulating the vitality of market entities and enhancing the momentum of endogenous development. In the future, policies of promoting the development of key regions such as the Greater Bay Area, the Yangtze River Delta and the Hainan Free Trade Zone, as well as policies of supporting technology innovation-driven development and green and low-carbon development, are expected to be introduced and implemented one after another, which will continue to bring new development opportunities for the industry.