Sun Ruizhe:Inaugural speech at the Session of the Hand-over of Presidency ITMF Annual Conference 2020

Good evening / Good afternoon / Good morning！

Honorable ITMF Past Presidents， President Mr. Kihak Sung，

Dear ITMF colleagues and friends，

Distinguished guests， ladies and gentlemen，

Every two years， we have the hand-over of ITMF Presidency， and we are grateful to all ITMF past presidents for their contributions to a better ITMF. They have been magnificent.

I would like to pay tribute to the fortitude and patience of my predecessor Mr. Kihak Sung. He has led a united， responsible and influential ITMF especially after the outbreak of the pandemic and it is in that spirit that I also plan to lead.

My sincere thanks also go to the outgoing Treasurer Mr. Heinz Michel and outgoing Board Member Mr. Peter Gn？gi for their great work. Thank you very much for your support and contributions over the years.

Moreover， in this special time， I want to pay tribute to the remarkable efforts of textile people around the world in fight against the coronavirus. I firmly believe that we will win finally.

With a history of 116 years， ITMF is a valuable platform for common understanding and global value chain cooperation. It is of great significance in the world textile history， and plays a key role in promoting industrial innovation and sustainability. I am deeply honored to be ITMF president. I will do my best for the industry.

Over the past two years， ITMF has done excellent jobs thanks to the leadership of President Kihak Sung and the joint efforts of Director-General Dr. Schindler， Secretariat and all the members.

After the outbreak， ITMF conducted industrial surveys， calling for stability of the global supply chain and security of the industry. It also appealed to manufacturers and buyers to fulfill their social responsibilities. All these work has injected positive energy into the recovery of the world textile industry.

Yet it takes time for the world to walk out of the shadow of COVID-19. For a long time to come， we will face increasing pressure on global supply chain cooperation， a sharp contraction in trade and investment， huge job losses， geopolitical conflicts， climate change…a series of issues across countries， nations， races and generations to cope with. We need to bear in mind that the prosperity of human beings is based on civilization evolution， technology progress and learning from history. We must follow the trend to carry out our work in an open and practical way. To-gether we will get the job done.

We should put people first， safeguard the dignity and rights of all textile people as producers， investors and consumers， and promote social fairness. We should pursue open and inclusive development， jointly maintain the stability of supply chains， and create an open and fair environment for trade and investment. We should uphold the new round of scientific and technological revolution， seeking digitalized and intelligent patterns for an innovative and sustained development. We should participate in the global climate governance， contributing to the green recovery of the world economy.

Dear colleagues， looking forward to the future， we need to think carefully. What kind of international organization is needed for the world textile industry？ How should ITMF play its role in future？

The answer is clear： the world textile industry needs ITMF. ITMF has the ability and advantage to give a full picture of the industrial trend in an accurate and professional way. It can affect the decisions of enterprises and the policy-making of governments so as to promote the healthy development of the industry.

In future， we should carry forward ITMF fine tradition and work practices， and improve ITMF credibility and execution for a high management level of the world textile industry.

Meanwhile， ITMF will continue to pursue the concept of cooperation， bring into full play its role as a platform for communication， expand the converging interests of all countries/regions and build a gl obal textile family of harmony and cooperation.

For ITMF work in future， I have three preliminary suggestions：

1. Think tank construction to strengthen research work and publications.

2. Annual reward system to stimulate innovation and encourage contribution.

3. Standardization work for convergence and compliance.

Finally， I would like to extend my heart-felt gratitude to all of you for your trust and support. Congratulations to the new executive board members， Mr. Srinivasan and Mr. Juan Pares as Vice Presidents and Mr. Ernesto Maurer as Treasurer. Also， congratulations to all re-elected， newly-elected and co-opted board members.

I will continue to work with you as well as other ITMF colleagues， Dr. Schindler， ITMF Secretariat， all the members and my CNTAC team for a better ITMF.

Let us work together going forward！ Thank you.