Several major shipping companies are starting new links between China and India, or are expanding the services they already offer on these routes.

It is estimated that for every eight full containers exported from China, only one full container is imported into India. Emirates Shipping Lines, a new player based in Hong Kong, is promoting a China-India express service to complement its links between India and the Middle East.

"China and India are both mass producing countries," said Jamshed Safdar, senior vice president for marketing at Emirates Shipping Line. "However we see a lot of finished goods moving from China to India and a lot of raw material and chemicals and even some finished goods from India to China."

Meanwhile, Evergreen Marine of Taiwan has joined with Hapag Lloyd of Germany and Wan Hai Lines, also of Taiwan, to introduce a weekly China-India express service.

The new service, CIX, starts in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and goes to Hong Kong before picking up cargo in Shekou, in southern China. It then continues to Singapore; Port Klang, Malaysia; and Colombo before reaching Mumbai's port of Nhava Shevi. The service is now largely carrying manufactured goods heading to India from China, and raw materials and agricultural goods back to China from India.

At the same time, "the 250 million - and growing - Indian middle class, amongst others, is becoming an attractive market for China as well," Heims said.

Source:佚名