China’s ports are seeing a rebound in shipping container traffic with expectations that volumes will continue to grow. Dai Kaiyi reports from one of the country’s busiest inland ports on the Yangtze River.
High above the ground, crane operator Li Xianhui is moving full speed ahead to unload the next container.
LI XIANHUI Crane Operator, Yueyang Xingang Co., Hunan Provincial Port Group “Enterprises have resumed work and production after the Lunar New Year holiday, and my job is starting to get busier. The workload is full, and I just keep going until my shift ends.”
Chenglingji Port, where he works, is located on the Yangtze River. It is a hub for land and water cargo transit, and one of the busiest inland ports in China. Operating at full capacity once again, it’s seeing more production lines running as shipments arrive.
The port processed more than one-million containers in 2022, making it the third port along the middle and upper sections of China’s longest river to reach that mark. Imports and exports surpassed 70 billion yuan, or 10 billion US dollars, during the same period.
YIN XIANDONG Executive Deputy, General Manager of Hunan Port Group “The port is a barometer of our export-oriented economic development. I think it plays a very good supporting role for the development of Hunan Province and the entire central region.”
Five terminals at Chenglingji Port are designated for vehicle, meat, grain, fruit, and timber imports. The port also connects China’s river systems to the sea through eastern Shanghai Port, linking inland areas with ports in Europe, the United States and Oceania.
YIN XIANDONG Executive Deputy General Manager, Hunan Port Group “With the promotion of our country’s ‘dual circulation’ system in the economy, our imports will increase significantly. We import things like food, iron ore and coal, and through a unified domestic market that China is building, seaports and inland ports can connect with each other to achieve direct river-sea combined transportation.”
Transport ministry data shows China’s ports processed 15.7 billion tons of cargo in 2022 – close to one per cent more than the previous year. In the same period, port container throughput increased by 4.7 per cent, to 290 million tons.
WANG DONGHUI, Director and Secretary of the Party Committee, Yueyang Customs “This year, Yueyang Customs will focus on giving full play to Yueyang’s platform advantages of ‘three districts, one port and five docks’, promote the combined customs clearance mode, and the smooth operation of international direct shipping, as well as combined water-rail transport. We will push forward with the deep integration of Yueyang Chenglingji Port into the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.”
Chenglingji Port authorities are aiming to increase the volume of cargo handled by 25 per cent in 2023. Dai Kaiyi, CGTN, in Yueyang, Hunan Province.
Source: CGTN