On March 8, 1924, the ship Sally Maersk, loaded with grains from Australia, made its maiden call at the port of Shanghai, marking the beginning of Maersk's century long development in China. In the words of Yanci, the chief representative of Maersk Group's North Asia region, "this has indeed been an extraordinary 100 years.".

     "Sali Maersk was a steam cargo ship that carried 4600 tons of grain from Australia to Shanghai, unloaded from Shanghai, and then went to Qinhuangdao to load China's exported coal. This was very meaningful. 100 years ago, we had already achieved globalization, bringing grain from Australia and then transporting China's exported goods overseas. Just four years later, in 1928, Maersk launched its first liner transportation service, traveling between China and North America." Yanci explained in an interview with China Trade Daily that Maersk and China have a very deep affinity. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Maersk mainly served China's foreign trade through Hong Kong. Maersk's first representative office in China was established in Guangzhou on August 15, 1984. On March 29, 1994, Maersk's wholly-owned company in China, Maersk (China) Shipping Co., Ltd., was established.

     Yanci recalled, "I joined Maersk in 2000, when China had not yet become a trading power, with lower trade volume than Japan, and China's ports were still in the second tier. However, we see China's enormous potential, especially after joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), China's foreign trade has developed rapidly. Today, China has become an exporting country, with container goods exports accounting for about one-third of the world's total.".

     To this day, Maersk's business in China has expanded from its initial single sea transportation to group procurement businesses such as supply chain management, inland transportation, multimodal transportation, freight air transportation, terminal investment and management, as well as ocean freight ships and marine equipment. Based on the evaluation of various factors such as the layout of Shanghai Port routes, the efficiency of international transfer and consolidation operations, and the port clearance environment, Maersk has decided to establish a regional distribution center in the new Lingang area of Shanghai. Yanci said, "China is extremely important to Maersk, and it is our largest source of export goods. If we do not have a significant business in China, we cannot be called a true global company." Yanci believes that it is necessary to conduct business in China and continue to grow and grow.

     Green transformation is an important development strategy for Maersk at present. In order to better address the challenge of climate change, Maersk has ordered the world's first dual fuel container feeder ship that can use green methanol for navigation in 2021; Subsequently, deploy routes in the European region. Large ocean going container ships of this type have also been gradually put into operation since the beginning of this year. Yanci believes that the transformation of green shipping is a very important thing for Maersk, and the application of green methanol fuel actually brings many opportunities to China, which helps China reduce its dependence on energy imports.

     Maersk and Yanci are also very concerned about issues such as expanding imports and stabilizing the supply chain. Yanci hopes that China will continue to expand imports and achieve a more balanced development between exports and imports. He mentioned that the China International Import Expo held in Shanghai and the China International Supply Chain Promotion Expo held in Beijing will contribute to the development of these two aspects.

     Maersk participated in the first China International Supply Chain Promotion Expo (hereinafter referred to as the "Chain Expo"), with its booth located in the supply chain service exhibition area, focusing on green, digital, and full range supply chain services by sea, land, and air. "Supply chain issues are very important. During the COVID-19, many international supply chains were interrupted, causing many components to fail to arrive in time. Many enterprises are thinking about whether they need to build a more resilient supply chain and other issues." In Yanci's opinion, China's supply chain plays an indispensable role. Through the Chain Expo platform, it is of great significance to discuss these topics and promote the stable development of the supply chain. "I really enjoy the experience of participating in the Chain Expo and thank the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade for its meticulous organization."

     During the interview, the reporter found that Yan Ci expressed himself fluently in Chinese. It is understood that Yan Ci came to China in 1998 to study Chinese at Renmin University of China, and later served as a business officer at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in China. In 2000, he joined Maersk (China) Shipping Co., Ltd. as a marketing manager. Afterwards, he successively served as the General Manager of Public Affairs for Maersk Shipping Greater China, Director of Public Affairs for North Asia, and President of Maersk (China) Limited. When it comes to the experience of living in China for more than 20 years, Yanci has a lot of emotions. "When I first came to China, there were still many people riding bicycles on the streets and the traffic was not congested. Later on, I saw many changes in China's development, such as the rapid development of digital services. Recently, everyone has been talking about the convenience of foreign payments in China. Nowadays, I don't use cash in China, and can complete all payments through WeChat." Yanci smiled and said, "I like China, and I am very satisfied with my decision to live and work in China!"