A grand shipping and logistics gathering, the ‘China Shipping 50 Forum’, was held in Guangzhou’s Nansha District on January 11, attracting over 300 representatives of leading enterprises in the field.
A grand shipping and logistics gathering, the ‘China Shipping 50 Forum’, was held in Guangzhou’s Nansha District on January 11.[Photo provided to Newsgd.com]
As the overall plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is about to be released later this year, the forum specifically focused on how this plan will affect the shipping and logistics development around Guangzhou Port, especially the Nansha Port area.
Pan Yuzhang, Deputy Director of Management Committee of the Nansha Free Trade Zone, stressed that Nansha is located at the geographic center of the Bay Area and had the innate qualities needed to develop the port industries.
In 2017, Guangzhou Port’s container throughput reached 20.3 million TEUs while Nansha Port reached 14 million TEUs with a 10.45-percent increase year on year. Nansha Port currently operates 177 routes, 85 of which are international.
Nansha Port[file photo]
“Now the district is expanding its transport network, adding 20 rail transit lines and 8 expressways to strengthen connection with other cities in the Pearl River Delta and nationwide,” said Pan, “the government is also offering incentives to attract logistics service providers and further complete the industrial chain.”
Meanwhile, executives from leading enterprises also gave their insight based on their operations in Nansha. Xie Zhijian, Chairman of Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, said he has felt confident about the development of Nansha’s Port since 2004.
“It’s said that the upcoming plan aims to develop the Pearl River West into an advanced manufacturing center while the East will concentrate more on modern services. That is to say then, that Nansha Port will be closer to the sources of supply, lending a distinct competitive advantage,” said Xie Zhijian, “once the government has reallocated resources, Nansha Port should better define itself and strengthen its networks to make the very best of these resources.”
Xie Zhijian, Chairman of Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, makes a speech during the forum. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]
Speaking on the development trend nationwide, Wang Ming, Head of the National Development and Reform Commission Comprehensive Transportation Institute, said the development of Nansha’s shipping and logistics industry should focus on solving the problems of quality and imbalance in the future.
“As Nansha Port has this huge container throughput already, it should pay more attention to quality and efficiency so as to improve its position in the global value chain,” said Wang Ming, “quality is not only about the products coming through, but also services and in all aspects of production; while efficiency is about labor productivity as well as capital output and the productivity of all respective components. Thus, it is a modernization of the whole industrial chain.”
Reported by Jasmine Yin
Edited by Simon Haywood & Olivia Ouyang
