China's harbors are changing the pattern of the global harbor industry along with the era of China. It points out the five major trends in the harbor industry and the balancing role China will play in the future.
China will become the world's harbor center
After China became the manufacturing center and the "world factory", the trade volume between China and the US, Europe and Asia has been unprecedented. As Walmart supermarket has begun to buy their products in China, TCL and Lenovo have increased their export and China's increasingly essential raw materials which include oil, iron ore and copper, tremendous increase can be seen in China's inland harbor transportation. Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhan currently rank from second to fourth in the world harbor container transportation with total throughput accounting for 25% of the world's total. China has become one of the world's harbor powers.
The world harbor industry has shifted its center from Western Europe to North America and then to East Asia. With the transfer of world manufacturing bases, China has replaced the four little dragons and become the major driving force for the increase of container throughput and made the world throughput concentrate in East Asia. China's rise makes obvious to the world that it is not the resources concentration that drives the development of harbors, but the development of harbors that drives the resource concentration.
China has become the No.1 source of goods for European ports. Last year, the Hamburg's containers back and forth from China accounted for 20% of its total.
The goods coming from China are home appliances, textile products and toys whilst the goods from Germany to China are machinery and car parts etc. Some marine transportation companies have put their emphasis on the Chinese line.
In 1990, Shanghai port throughput of containers was 450 thousand and in 1996, it became 2 million. Early this year, the throughput of Shanghai containers reached 10.082 million, 17.8 percent more than last year. It is predicted that the later half of the year will also see more than 10 million containers.
Within five years, Shanghai will become the world's No1 port. Of course Hong Kong is catching up. South Korea has also vowed to invest as much as Shanghai. Japan is also resuming her position as the Asian region International transportation center.
Shanghai harbor's transfer capacity is not sufficient with the international standard of 10% of the total cargo. 70% of Chinese exports will be transferred through South Korea.
Experts hold that with the development of the world's marine transportation ships towards large or mega ships, the global harbors will see five major trends.
In the new round of world competition, only a minority can become at the international center, so various harbors are seeking cooperation and through cooperation seek development. For example, with an increase of Chinese harbor capacity, the US harbors see greater competition.
Source:佚名