GMIS Summit Stresses Importance of Inclusive Industrial Development

UAE Minister Sultan Al Jaber during Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS)
UAE Minister Sultan Al Jaber during Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS)
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GMIS Summit Stresses Importance of Inclusive Industrial Development

UAE Minister Sultan Al Jaber during Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS)
UAE Minister Sultan Al Jaber during Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS)

International officials and experts stressed the importance of industrial development that is comprehensive and sustainable, which also makes use of advanced digital production techniques and the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution.

The virtual edition of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit (GMIS2020) concluded with a set of recommendations reiterating the need to design and develop a new index to measure comprehensive and sustainable industrial development, called: Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Performance Index.

The virtual meeting focused on the need and opportunity to develop such an index that would successfully integrate the economic, environmental, social, and governance dimensions of industrial development and the manufacturing sector, and that would take into account considerations pertaining to 4IR and impact investment.

The new Index will help measure the Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) performance of public and private sector entities.

The summit also called for ensuring the index’s contribution to monitoring performance and directing policy-makers, companies, and the workforce in the industrial sector.

It called for the adoption of a clear framework for the comprehensive and sustainable industrial performance index that measures its parameters properly.

The recommendations also called for achieving comprehensive and sustainable industrial development that requires the participation and cooperation of all actors, including decision-makers, regional bodies, businessmen, innovators, companies, and people who participate directly and indirectly in industrial production.

The industrial sector is facing many challenges that require a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach, which the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), will serve as the supervisory authority for the indicators of the comprehensive and sustainable industrial development goals.

On the issue of safety of the workforce, the environment, and industrial sites, the participants agreed that safety must be at the top priorities when employing any new technology.

Participating groups agreed to work on the systems and protocols that can be used within companies around the world to promote global safety of the workforce and the environment, as well as help workers adopt new models of work and collaboration.

The participants supported the empowerment of women in the industrial sector, and a number of recommendations that would enhance gender equality in the industrial sector were put forward.

The third edition of the Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit (GMIS2020), which was held virtually on September 4-5, discussed the role of the leaders of the industrial sector in confronting the coronavirus pandemic by formulating a new global approach for a sustainable future

GMIS was established in 2015 as a joint initiative between UNIDO and the Ministry of Energy and Industry of the UAE to help create new partnerships, initiatives, and actions connected to digital manufacturing.

Under the theme: “Glocalization: Towards Sustainable and Inclusive Global Value Chains,” the GMIS2020 virtual summit featured about 100 influential global leaders from the public and private sector, including heads of states, ministers, and thought-leaders from some of the world’s leading organizations.



China’s Economy Lags in July Under Pressure from Tariffs and a Weak Property Market

People ride scooters on a street in Beijing, China, 13 August 2025. (EPA)
People ride scooters on a street in Beijing, China, 13 August 2025. (EPA)
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China’s Economy Lags in July Under Pressure from Tariffs and a Weak Property Market

People ride scooters on a street in Beijing, China, 13 August 2025. (EPA)
People ride scooters on a street in Beijing, China, 13 August 2025. (EPA)

China's economy showed signs of slowing in July as factory output and retail sales slowed and housing prices dropped further, according to data released Friday.

Uncertainty over tariffs on exports to the United States is still looming over the world's second-largest economy after President Donald Trump extended a pause in sharp hikes in import duties for 90 days, beginning Monday, following a 90-day pause that began in May.

As officials worked toward a broader trade agreement, China reported earlier that its exports surged 7.2% in July year-on-year, while its imports grew at the fastest pace in a year, as businesses rushed to take advantage of the truce in Trump's trade war with Beijing.

But that also reflected a lower base for comparison, and manufacturers have slowed investments, hiring and production as they watch to see what comes. Chinese manufacturers also have ramped up shipments to Southeast Asia, Africa and other regions to help offset lost business in the US.

Still, annual growth in industrial output fell to 5.7% in July from 6.8% in June, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

Investments in factory equipment and other fixed assets rose a meager 1.6% in January-July, compared with 2.8% growth in the first half of the year.

Property investments plunged 12% in the first seven months of the year, with residential housing investment dropping nearly 11%.

Prices for newly built housing in major cities fell 1.1%, as a prolonged downturn in the property industry lingered.

The meltdown in the housing market hit just as the COVID -19 pandemic began, sapping one of the economy's main drivers of growth and causing dozens of developers to default on their debts.

The crisis rippled throughout the economy, destroying jobs for millions of people.

The government has sought to ensure that most housing that was paid for gets built, but sales remain weak despite a series of moves meant to entice families into back into the market.

Since most Chinese families have their wealth tied up in property, the anemic housing market has been a major factor crimping consumer spending. In July, retail sales rose 3.7%, the slowest rate in seven months and down from a 4.8% increase in June.

The unemployment rate rose to 5.2% from 5% as university graduates began looking for work.

While consumer prices rose 0.4% in July from the month before, prices at the wholesale level slipped 3.6% from a year earlier in another indicator of relatively weak demand.