Xiamen, 9 Sep (ZXS) -- Title: "Silk Road Shipping" covers five continents and four seas
China News Agency reporter Yan Xu
With the recent licensing of 13 new members, including Ghana Ports Authority, Piraeus Terminal Co., Ltd. and Abu Dhabi Terminals Co., Ltd., the number of members of the "Silk Road Shipping" Alliance has increased to 317.
On September 9, the 7th "Silk Road Shipping" International Cooperation Forum was held in Xiamen, and 13 new members of the "Silk Road Shipping" Alliance were awarded licenses. Photo by Zhong Xin
"Joining the Silk Road Maritime Alliance brings new international cooperation opportunities for Ghanaian ports." At the 9th Silk Road Maritime Cooperation Forum held in Xiamen on September 7, Malik Adams, Senior Marketing Director of Ghana Port Authority, expressed the hope that other West African countries would join the Silk Road Maritime Alliance and embark on the road of cooperation.
The "circle of friends" is getting bigger and bigger
As China's first shipping-themed "Belt and Road" international integrated logistics service brand and platform, "Silk Road Shipping" has become more and more "circle of friends" since its establishment in December 2018.
At this year's "Silk Road Shipping" International Cooperation Forum, "Silk Road Shipping" released 16 newly named routes. So far, the number of named routes of "Silk Road Shipping" has reached 116, building a route network connecting 43 ports in 131 countries around the world. The alliance partner ecosystem has been established, and the member units cover all links of the industrial chain, such as ports, shipping, logistics, port and shipping services, production, trade, wholesale and retail.
Maersk, an international shipping giant that began to develop business in Xiamen in 1991, has actively expanded its cooperation with the "Silk Road Shipping" alliance in recent years, and 24 routes have been named "Silk Road Shipping" routes.
Karim Fahssis, Decarbonization Business Director of Maersk (China) Co., Ltd., believes that China's resources, technology and industries will play an important role in the global shipping industry's green and low-carbon transformation. "We are seeking green fuel partners in China to contribute to greener and more sustainable development."
The "golden waterway" is getting wider and wider
Fujian was once an important starting point of the ancient "Maritime Silk Road", and Quanzhou Xantong Port had the reputation of "the largest port in the East" during the Song and Yuan Dynasties. At the beginning of the 15th century, the famous Chinese navigator Zheng He made seven ocean voyages, stationed in Fujian to serve the wind and open the sea, and connected the sea passage with more than 30 countries and regions in the world.
Today, taking advantage of the east wind of jointly building the "Belt and Road", "Silk Road Shipping" is striving to build a new international trade channel with linkage between land and sea and east-west in the process of construction, and the "golden waterway" is getting wider and wider.
Sri Lanka is one of the first countries to jointly build the "Belt and Road" with China, and Colombo Port City is a representative of cooperation between the two countries. Sri Lanka's Minister of State for Investment Promotion Amunugama said shipping is an important part of global trade, and Sri Lanka, as an island nation, has excellent ports. "China has provided support in the field of infrastructure, and Silk Road Shipping has helped Sri Lanka connect with global shipping, which has made great progress in our economic development, attracted more investors, and promoted the country's development."
Chen Zhiping, chairman of Fujian Port Group Co., Ltd., said that "Silk Road Shipping" will build a "golden waterway" connecting the countries that jointly build the "Belt and Road", increase the development of sea-rail combined transport, solidly promote the construction of the southeast land-sea channel, realize the efficient connection of "land silk" and "sea silk", and promote the cooperation and development with China-Europe Express and the new land-sea corridor in the west.
Jointly build the "Silk Road" economic and trade prosperity
In June 2022, China's first "Silk Road Shipping" e-commerce express line was launched. The route departed from Xiamen to the South Port of Manila in the Philippines, and has so far completed a container throughput of more than 6,110 TEUs and a cargo value of more than <> billion yuan.
On September 9, on the Xiamen offshore automation terminal, an automated guided vehicle for transferring containers was in operation. This is the world's first fourth-generation automated terminal, China's first automated terminal with all independent intellectual property rights, and has opened a number of "Silk Road Shipping" named routes. Photo by Zhang Bin, reporter of China News Agency
Chen Zhiping told the China News Agency that the "Silk Road Shipping" has operated more than 1400,<> ships, the container throughput has exceeded <> million TEU, and the sea-rail intermodal transport has reached a record high every year, showing strong attractiveness and vigorous vitality, enhancing connectivity partnerships and deepening international investment and trade cooperation.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Starting from Fujian, "Silk Road Shipping" has gradually explored and become a Chinese practice to deepen global cooperation and win-win results. Fujian officials have made it clear that they will further expand opening up, make the "Silk Road Shipping" dividend more sufficient, release the "Silk Road Shipping" channel effect, build the Xiamen BRICS New Industrial Revolution Partnership Innovation Base and the "Two Countries and Two Parks" project between China and Indonesia and China and the Philippines with high standards, improve the quality and level of trade and investment cooperation, and achieve common development and common prosperity. (End)