China's shipping resilience injects confidence into global supply chain stability
Tianjin, June 4th (Xinhua) -- China's shipping resilience injects confidence into global supply chain stability
Xinhua News Agency reporter Song Rui
In the cold storage of Zhenghe (Tianjin) Food Technology Industrial Park near Tianjin Port, there is a dazzling array of South American grass fed beef, Angus beef, and South American white shrimp. These frozen meat and seafood products from across the ocean have just been unloaded from shipping containers.
We import frozen meat and seafood products from Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Australia and other places every month, and have established business relationships with customers in 25 countries and regions, "said Bai Fubing, director of Zhenghe (Tianjin) Food Technology Co., Ltd. Thanks to improved port efficiency, increased container throughput, and convenient sea freight booking, the company's cold chain, warehousing, and logistics businesses have developed rapidly.
Juan Budano Roig, the head of an Argentine meat processing plant that works closely with him, sighed, "China's logistics and customs clearance are convenient. Compared with Zhenghe five years ago, our trade volume has doubled, and the factory's revenue continues to grow
According to statistics from Tianjin Customs, in the first four months of this year, Tianjin Port imported 621000 tons of meat, an increase of 5.8% year-on-year; The value is 16.55 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.5%. Among them, imports from emerging markets such as Latin America have increased significantly.
The efficient port clearance efficiency and logistics speed have reduced the overall logistics cost of meat trade by an average of 10% to 20%. Overseas customers are willing to increase cooperation with us, which has also made the dining tables of Chinese people richer and fresher, "said Xing Yanling, President of Tianjin Meat Association.
The 4th Tianjin International Shipping Industry Expo was held from June 2nd to 5th, focusing on intelligent, green, and international shipping, as well as global supply chain security and stability. It built an international shipping cooperation and innovation achievement exhibition platform, attracting over 400 companies to participate. Chinese and foreign guests at the conference believe that China's shipping resilience has injected confidence into the stability of the global supply chain.
China is playing an increasingly important role in the international shipping industry, "said Johanna Kristensen, co-founder and CEO of the Global Maritime Forum, who participated in the expo for the first time." The world may be more divided than in previous years, but international cooperation is crucial
Data shows that China's international shipping volume accounts for nearly one-third of the world's total, and its shipping service network covers the globe. China has built the world's largest port cluster, with port cargo throughput ranking first in the world for more than 20 consecutive years.
Xu Kai, Chief Information Officer of Shanghai International Shipping Research Center, stated that the resilience of China's shipping industry is the result of a combination of hard core infrastructure, a complete industrial system, technological innovation capabilities, and a deep global layout. This resilience not only ensures the stable development of China's own foreign trade, but also provides valuable certainty for the turbulent global supply chain.
Huakas Samad, CEO of Lao Shi Information Consulting, shared at the meeting that as the world's largest fleet, shipbuilding country, and container manufacturer, China plays a crucial role in today's shipping industry.
More importantly, China embodies a certain important trend in the future development of the shipping industry. This is not just a matter of scale and infrastructure, but the key lies in the organic combination of connectivity, technology, and intelligence, "he said.
In fact, in addition to the "hard power" such as a large fleet and port throughput, the intelligent shipping empowered by AI technology has pushed Chinese shipping from "efficiency first" to "resilience first".
At Tianjin Port, the world's first "smart zero carbon" terminal, quay crane drivers sit in the intelligent control center hundreds of meters away to remotely load and unload goods, while intelligent horizontal transport robots shuttle back and forth. Nowadays, Tianjin Port has achieved full coverage of intelligent transformation of container and dry bulk cargo terminals, with an automation rate of over 80% for large equipment.
Samad commented, "Taking Tianjin Port as an example, the use of 5G networks, artificial intelligence, and cloud controlled autonomous vehicles has significantly reduced reliance on manual labor. ”
The Chinese smart port solution is still providing a replicable model for global shipping. Xu Kai gave an example that the automated terminal technology of Shanghai Port has been replicated and applied in more than ten ports at home and abroad. The Qiankai Port in Peru, which opened in November 2024, is the first smart port in South America. The new route from Shanghai Port to Qiankai Port has saved logistics costs between China and Peru by more than 20%.
In the increasingly complex global supply chain, China has paved the way in areas such as ground robots and battery technology, making the industry more efficient. In Christensen's view, this impact is spreading globally.
Xu Kai believes that the current global shipping landscape is undergoing profound changes, and the fate of the human shipping industry needs to be jointly maintained by the world. China is an indispensable force in this regard. We can contribute more Chinese solutions, wisdom, and strength in areas such as shipping rule making, financial and insurance services, digital shipping ecology, and global supply chain governance.