WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden convened a summit on Sunday during the annual gathering of G-20 leaders to address supply-chain challenges and other disruptions affecting global commerce.

“Supply chains are something that most of our citizens never think twice about until something goes wrong. Biden, who is making his G-20 debut since becoming President, stated that during the pandemic we have seen backlogs and delays in goods from electronics to automobiles, shoes, furniture, and even electronic equipment.

“Ending the Pandemic will be the key to unlocking all the disruptions we are dealing with.” However, we must now take immediate action together with our private sector partners, in order to decrease the backlogs we are facing,” he stated. We cannot continue to do business as normal now that we’ve seen the vulnerability of these global commerce lines.

According to White House reports, Biden and leaders of 14 countries as well as the European Union agreed to foster “greater international cooperation in the face of near-term supply chain disruptions.” They also intend to diversify and strengthen the supply chain ecosystem, from dependence on specific raw materials through manufacturing and shipping to distribution.

Surging consumer demand, labor shortages, delays overseas in manufacturing, and a constant pandemic are continuing to impact the global supply chain. These factors have led to increased transportation costs and higher inflation.

Biden has also made the following domestic announcements in an attempt to resolve the U.S. supply-chain problems:

• A Presidential Order was issued to streamline American stockpiling by delegating power to the Department of Defense for material releases from National Defense Stockpile. It will facilitate a quicker response to defense-industrial base material gaps.

• There are two initiatives that will promote supply chain resilience between allies and partners of the United States. The State Department will provide additional funding for Mexico and Central America to help alleviate disruptions in supply chains and to address bottlenecks. Millions of dollars will be spent on funding new U.S. ASEAN initiatives. This will help to improve the customs procedures and clearance procedures. It will also reduce delays and promote sustainable, efficient supply chains.

• Next year, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host a summit for multi-stakeholders. This summit will serve as a continuation dialogue between these parties in order to determine the next steps to strengthen global supply chain resilience.

The Biden administration revealed a plan earlier this month to run operations 24/7 at the California ports of Los Angeles and Long BeachThey account for 40% in sea freight arriving to the U.S.

The twin ports announced last week new penalties on the carriers of the busiest port complex, in an effort to reduce the increasing logjam caused by cargo ships.

After being loaded from vessels containers moving by trucks have to be unloaded for at least nine days before penalties start. For containers scheduled to be moved by rail, there will be three days.

These deadlines will apply to carriers. From Nov. 1, they’ll be subject to $100 per lingering container.