China aims for top-class ports by 2050

Port machinery produced by ZPMC approaches Phase 4 of the Shanghai Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai. (Courtesy of ZPMC)

China has issued a guideline to build top-class ports, aiming to focus on major coastal container hubs and the safe, intelligent upgrade of ports across the country by 2050. The plan is expected to build up Chinese ports' competitiveness on the basis of advantages in size and efficiency, an expert told the Global Times Wednesday.

The guideline sets out a three-step goal that aims to make significant progress by 2025, build up major ports to world-class status by 2035 and fully accomplish the goal national wide by 2050, according to a notice on the website of the Ministry of Transport (MOT) on Wednesday.

The guideline includes 19 key tasks covering six areas that focus on improving complex service capacity and expediting green, intelligent, safe and modern port construction, said the notice.

A system with 16 criteria to guide port development will be established with an emphasis on quality, the notice said.

World-class ports should have leading advantages in terms of scale, intelligent levels and supporting commercial facilities, Zhou Dequan, director of the Shanghai International Shipping Institute's Shipping Research Center, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Chinese ports enjoy strong competitiveness in throughput and are making progress in automation using technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and 5G, according to Zhou.

China's ports have already built advantages in size, efficiency and technological innovation in the world. In the past three years, the nation's container ports have seen average growth of more than 25 percent with improving service levels, read the MOT notice.

Lianyungang Port, located in East China's Jiangsu Province, has in recent years found its new role as a major maritime gateway for Central Asian countries under the Belt and Road Initiative. Its cargo throughput reached 204 million tons, up 3.45 percent year-on-year, in the first 10 months of this year, according to a press release the port sent the Global Times on Wednesday.

The port handled more than 4 million containers during that period, up 1.15 percent year-on-year, read the press release.

Lianyungang has been promoting information build-up in recent years, having more than 40 information systems and providing one-stop service to its clients, the press release said.