China’s smart ports boost growing foreign trade

Automated container cranes and driverless transport vehicles are engaged in unloading and transporting containers at Tianjin Port in Tianjin Municipality, northern China.

Smart port construction, which incorporates technologies such as 5G, AI, autonomous driving and cloud computing, has completely transformed Tianjin Port. The port is now the world’s first zero-carbon smart terminal.

The smart terminal increases the operating efficiency of a single crane by more than 40 percent and reduces labor costs by 60 percent.

In recent years, China has been vigorously developing smart transportation and logistics as it pushes to build world-class smart and green ports.

In addition to Tianjin Port, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, the world’s busiest port in terms of cargo handling, has also led the wave of smart port construction.

“About 90 percent of China’s foreign trade is shipped by sea. The development of smart ports will enhance operational efficiency and make a significant contribution to the development of China’s foreign trade,” said Lin Yikun, an official from China Communications and Transportation. Association.

As the world’s largest trader of goods, China’s foreign trade hit a new high in the first half of this year, providing more impetus for economic recovery, official data showed on Friday.

The volume of goods trade rose 6.1 percent year-on-year to 21.17 trillion yuan (about 2.97 trillion US dollars) in the January-June period, according to the General Administration of Customs.

“Marine shipping is vital to the global economy, as 85 percent of global trade is carried out by sea, and China plays a major role in that,” said Steve Gordon, global head of Clarkson Research Services Ltd., a research firm. shipping industry, during the four-day Tianjin International Shipping Industry Expo 2024, which opened on Wednesday.

“China remains the largest single shipping market. In many areas of the shipping economy, China is incredibly important and has taken market leadership positions globally,” Gordon added.

The transformation of ports across the country also offers a glimpse into the vibrancy of China’s shipping industry. Official figures show that the fleet tonnage of ships owned by Chinese shipowners has reached 249.2 million gross tons, making it the world’s largest ship-owning country in terms of total tonnage.

In addition, China has eight of the world’s top 10 busiest ports in terms of cargo handling and seven of the world’s top 10 ports in terms of container handling.

“In recent years, the global shipping industry has faced unprecedented challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the fabric of the global supply chain, causing widespread disruption,” said Joseph Edward Kramek, president of the World Shipping Council.

“Threats and disruptions in the Red Sea to the Panama Canal have added complexity to our operations, but these events have also led us to develop more robust and flexible solutions,” Kramek noted.

Through technological innovation, enhanced transport efficiency and increased global cooperation, China’s shipping industry has played a vital role in ensuring the safety, stability and smooth flow of the international logistics supply chain and promoting global economic development amid uncertainty.

“China’s shipping industry is changing very fast and embracing new technologies related to decarbonization and digitalization. This is really impressive,” Jan Van der Borght, port spokesman for the Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority, told Xinhua .

In addition, Chinese shipping and logistics enterprises are also actively promoting cross-border cooperation.

Cainiao, Alibaba’s China e-commerce heavyweight logistics arm, has built a global smart logistics network with end-to-end capabilities. It operates in about 200 countries and regions.

“The global economy is based on the seamless movement of goods across the oceans, and it is our responsibility to ensure that this continues efficiently and sustainably,” Kramek noted.

“We like to work with our Chinese friends and partners to exchange ideas. Cooperation, transparency and continuous dialogue are of the utmost importance if we are to face the current challenges together,” said Van der Borght.