Strive to move from a packaging powerhouse to a packaging powerhouse (2)

Strive to move from a packaging powerhouse to a packaging powerhouse (2)

（2） Strengthen the construction of packaging regulations and packaging standard system

Rule of law is the fundamental strategy of China. The improvement and perfection of packaging regulations are necessary to protect consumer rights, ensure the participation of Chinese products in global competition, and guide the scientific, rational, sustainable, and healthy development of China's packaging industry.

After more than 20 years of effort, China has made clear requirements for the quality of packaging products in the relevant regulations that have been issued, and has formulated more than 500 national standards, forming the basic framework of China's packaging regulations and standards system, which has initially met the general needs of the packaging and related industries. However, the regulations related to packaging are still seriously inadequate, and most packaging standards still have a considerable gap with those of developed countries. The standards are not comprehensive, not compatible, and have poor operability. There are also some standards that cannot meet the needs of the market economy.

Especially after China's accession to the World Trade Organization, if our packaging regulations are seriously lagging behind, if our producers of industrial and agricultural products lack awareness of packaging regulations, and if our packaging products lack the constraints of regulations and standards, the possibility of our export goods being loaded due to packaging not meeting international standards or the requirements of developed country regulations will increase sharply. The situation of export goods claims caused by packaging problems will increase significantly, and China's export trade will be seriously affected. In 1998, solid wood packaging products used in China's export goods were restricted by European countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, causing serious economic losses, which is a typical case.

To this end, we need to organize specialized forces under the leadership and support of relevant departments of the State Council, combined with China's national conditions, to collect, organize and study the existing regulations of developed countries and international organizations. Track the workflow of packaging legislation in foreign countries, and compare it with the regulations and standards related to packaging that have been released in China, and do a good job in absorption and conversion. Make our regulations and standards truly scientific, reasonable, advanced, operable, and in line with international standards. At the same time, we should actively provide relevant domestic and international regulations and standards information to all members and industries of the association, guiding enterprises to engage in production in accordance with regulations and standards. Encourage enterprises to adopt international standards to enhance the international competitiveness of their products.

（3） Relying on technological progress to strengthen packaging education

Developing science and technology education is the fundamental plan to achieve economic revitalization and modernization, as well as to move from a packaging power to a packaging powerhouse. To take the path of emerging industrialization, we must leverage the important role of science and technology as the primary productive force, rely on technological progress and improve the quality and efficiency of labor, and enhance the growth of the packaging industry.

We should encourage and guide the widespread application of information technology in the packaging industry, actively promote high-tech that has a breakthrough and significant driving effect on the healthy development of the packaging industry, and transform traditional industries with advanced and applicable technologies. The technological progress in the packaging industry largely depends on the use of advanced packaging raw materials and the adoption of advanced technological equipment. The technological progress of packaging raw materials mainly relies on the upstream packaging industry. The country should encourage the upstream packaging industry and the development of new packaging materials, such as paper companies developing various packaging paper and cardboard that better meet packaging strength and printing performance requirements, petrochemical companies developing various plastic resins and auxiliary materials that better meet packaging barrier performance requirements, steel companies developing various thin steel plates suitable for making packaging drums and cans, non-ferrous metallurgical companies developing aluminum foil and aluminum materials that meet packaging needs, and the wood industry developing insect free composite wood products that meet packaging requirements. If the upstream packaging industry cannot develop raw materials that meet the packaging needs and cannot fully meet the demands of the packaging industry, then the packaging industry can only rely on imports, and the modernization of China's packaging industry will not have reliable support. Providing the packaging industry with a wider variety, better quality, and more in line with international trends of packaging raw materials is an important prerequisite for technological progress in the packaging industry. The packaging industry should provide a list of scarce packaging raw materials to upstream industries, cooperate with market research, encourage upstream industries to include them in their new product development plans, and quickly form the ability for large-scale production.

At the same time, we need to leverage the advantages of the association, organize domestic experts and outstanding scientific and technological talents, track the world's packaging development trends and technological advantages, conduct research on common, forward-looking, and strategic packaging field topics, including macro packaging economics, the relationship between packaging and national economic development, packaging industry policies, packaging regulations and standards, packaging and import and export trade, packaging and environment, packaging and resources, packaging and intellectual property, and strive for support from relevant national departments in terms of policies, organizations, and expenses.

Education is the foundation of talent in the packaging industry and the cornerstone of packaging revitalization. We should broaden our perspective on education and focus on training. Education and training include multiple levels such as higher education, vocational education, continuing education for packaging industry employees, and technical training.

In the past 20 years, China's packaging higher education system has been initially established, but there is a significant gap not only compared to developed countries in terms of faculty, student sources, teaching quality, teaching facilities, and research achievements, but also compared to other well-known universities and key universities in other industries in China. In order to achieve advanced levels of packaging higher education both domestically and internationally as soon as possible, the key is to strengthen the construction of teaching staff in packaging related majors. The state should provide key support for teacher training, overseas study, and talent introduction in the packaging profession, in order to facilitate the cultivation of advanced packaging talents. We can pilot some joint-stock universities in the packaging industry and implement school enterprise cooperation. The association should summarize and promote the experience of the joint education between Zhuzhou Institute of Technology and China Packaging and Printing Base, which has already been successfully implemented. We need to combine scientific research to promote the development of the packaging industry with talent training to accelerate the development of China's packaging industry. Implement interdisciplinary collaborative research and actively carry out various packaging academic activities and exchanges nationwide and in the Asian region. Create conditions to actively develop exchanges and cooperation with packaging research institutions and national standard packaging enterprise groups from around the world, striving for more achievements and talents. Strive for significant breakthroughs in packaging economic management and related packaging technology research within 5-10 years.

By actively summarizing the experience of packaging vocational education, expanding the scale of packaging vocational education, gradually changing the phenomenon of generally low quality of packaging workers, and cultivating more high-quality workers and practical talents for the modernization of the packaging industry, the continuing education and training of packaging workers are directly related to whether China's packaging enterprises can survive and develop in the fierce international market competition. Industry associations should learn from the experience of foreign industry organizations and play a greater role in organizing technical training for industry employees.

（4） Adhere to the combination of "bringing in" and "going out", comprehensively improve the level of foreign exchange

We must adapt to the new situation of economic globalization and accession to the World Trade Organization, so that the packaging industry can participate in international economic cooperation and competition on a larger scale, in a wider range of fields, and at a higher level. We must fully utilize both international and domestic markets, coordinate domestic development and opening up to the outside world, expand development space, and promote the reform and development of the packaging industry through opening up to the outside world.

In recent years, foreign packaging companies and organizations have been very optimistic about China's huge packaging market, from simple product sales to setting up offices, to investing in factories. Some world-renowned multinational packaging companies have invested and established factories in China, which has accelerated the pace of China's packaging industry's integration with the international packaging industry to a certain extent. But we must be soberly aware that after joining the WTO, the world's packaging powers will, on the one hand, rely on their capital and technological advantages to enter China's packaging market on a large scale; On the other hand, strict technical standards, environmental standards, and safety standards have created new non-tariff technical barriers for Chinese products. So, joining the World Trade Organization presents both opportunities and challenges for China's packaging industry. We must continue to do a good job in responding to the transition period of joining the WTO, exercise our rights seriously, and fulfill our commitments and obligations.

We should continue to actively and effectively utilize foreign investment, focus on introducing advanced technology, key equipment, modern management experience, and specialized talents, support various forms of cooperation between domestic enterprises and multinational corporations, encourage and support various types of ownership enterprises with comparative advantages, and adopt forms such as joint ventures, sole proprietorships, and joint ventures to carry out cross-border operations and drive domestic commodity exports.

We must contribute to maintaining the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau and achieving complete reunification of the motherland. We need to continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with packaging industry peers in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The World Packaging Organization has agreed to establish the Asian Packaging Center in China, which has been approved by the former State Economic and Trade Commission to be built in Hangzhou, providing a rare opportunity for the development of China's packaging industry. Building the Asian Packaging Center into an international comprehensive park integrating science and education, research and development, manufacturing, finance, trade, exhibitions, information, services, etc. is of great practical and strategic significance for enhancing the image of China's packaging industry in the world, especially in the Asian region, and achieving the goal of China's packaging industry becoming a world packaging power. We need to fully leverage the guidance and coordination role of the association with the strong support of relevant departments of the State Council and local governments, mobilize various social forces, implement market-oriented, diversified, and international operations, and quickly complete and implement the construction of the Asian Packaging Center, making it a concrete manifestation of advanced productivity in the packaging industry as soon as possible. To become a platform for multilateral, bilateral, and regional economic and trade cooperation and exchange in the packaging industry.

With the sustained, rapid, and healthy development of China's economy and the continuous improvement of the investment environment, some global industry centers and international organizations will also settle in China. Since its establishment, the World Packaging Organization has once again decided to hold the "World Packaging Conference" in China in 2006. We must do a good job in all aspects, make the conference a success, and comprehensively improve the level of opening up to the outside world.