This aerial photo taken on Aug 13, 2020 shows a view of Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

"Openness, innovation and entrepreneurship are the key elements that have made us what we are today," Mai Boliang, chairman and CEO of China International Marine Containers (Group) Ltd, said as he talked about how he led the company to become a world leader in its industry.

Established in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in 1980－the same year as the founding of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone－the logistics and energy equipment supplier has been a "constructor" and a "witness" of the city's development and was deeply implanted with－as Mai calls it－"Shenzhen genes".

The biggest advantage of Shenzhen in its 40 years of development is that it gathers a large number of people who have their own dreams, are eager to make a better life and are willing to fight for it. It is their spirits－entrepreneurship, innovation, boldness－that have enabled Shenzhen to develop from a small fishing village into a metropolis.

Mai Boliang, Chairman and CEO, China International Marine Containers (Group) Ltd

"The biggest advantage of Shenzhen in its 40 years of development is that it gathers a large number of people who have their own dreams, are eager to make a better life and are willing to fight for it. It is their spirits－entrepreneurship, innovation, boldness－that have enabled Shenzhen to develop from a small fishing village into a metropolis," he said.

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Mai himself is one of those people. After graduating from university in 1981, Mai did not hesitate to come to Shenzhen to start his career. He joined CIMC to work as a container engineer.

"I am a person who likes to explore new things. I chose the city because I believed, as a special economic zone, it would have a lot of opportunities for university students," he explained. "I wanted to pour my energy here and achieve my own value."

In 1992, Mai, then 33 years old, was appointed as CIMC's general manager. He then led the company to become the world's top container maker in 1996 in terms of the number of containers shipped.

Since then, CIMC has remained the world's largest container manufacturer, with a market share of over 50 percent.

The company has also diversified its business to cover a range of other areas, including energy, chemical and food equipment, logistics services and airport facilities, with its products being sold in more than 120 countries and regions. The operating revenue of the company reached 85.8 billion yuan (US$12.5 billion) last year.

"We now have 24 products that have taken the lead in the global market, and we aim to increase that number to 40," he said.

Acknowledging that the global political and economic environment is undergoing rapid changes, particularly with the ongoing China-US dispute over trade and technology, Mai said the major challenge lies in how to lead the company to achieve high-quality growth against that backdrop.

"You need to stick to your value and principles, but at the same time, you need to make timely and flexible changes," he said. "You need to work out ways to keep your business afloat."

He sees the changing environment as an opportunity for CIMC to cultivate talent and grow stronger as the company looks ahead to its next 40 years of development.

He is also determined to have his company play a bigger role in the development of both Shenzhen and the country.

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"Shenzhen is a part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and it will also be built into a pilot demonstration zone for socialism with Chinese characteristics. We will actively integrate ourselves into national development and strive to play the role as a participant, a constructor and a value contributor in order to make greater contributions to the country's future development."

Contact the writers at sally@chinadailyhk.com