Global shipping, logistics, and trade have shown remarkable resilience despite such disruptions, such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, protectionist headwinds, and extreme climate conditions, but that resilience is increasingly fragile unless the world acts together to tackle mounting risks, officials and industry leaders warned on Wednesday at the 10th Maritime Silk Road Port Cooperation Forum in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.

"We are living in turbulent times," said Jens Meier, president of the International Association of Ports and Harbors.

"All of you working in or with ports are experiencing firsthand how rapidly the world around us is changing," he said at the opening ceremony of the forum. "Supply chains are under pressure, geopolitical realities are shifting, and energy transition is confronting the industry with major investment decisions and infrastructure adaptations."

The three-day forum gathered over 1,000 delegates from more than 70 countries and regions to discuss and tackle the myriad challenges facing the maritime sector and the broader world trade and economy.

Sustained resilience is far from guaranteed, cautioned Tim Power, managing director of Drewry Shipping Consultants. "If we are not careful, we may wake up one morning and realize we have lost it," he said, adding that risks to resilience, including the erosion of freedom of navigation, the fragmentation of global regulatory structure, and the weaponization of trade, among others, should be better understood and urgently addressed.

Jin Jingdong, chief planner of the Ministry of Transport, called for stronger cross-border cooperation.

"We must deepen coordination in port operations, route networks, and logistics services to build a more open, inclusive, and efficient global shipping network," Jin said. "No single country or port can face the challenges alone."

The latest statistics from the ministry show that China's ports maintained steady growth from January to April this year, with container throughput increasing faster than overall cargo volume.

In the first four months, ports across China handled 5.93 billion metric tons of cargo, up 3.1 percent year-on-year. Container throughput reached 120 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), an increase of 7.2 percent.