On June 30th, the State Council Information Office held a press conference on the high-quality development of water transportation in the first half of the year and China Maritime Day 2023. We were briefed on both events. From January to May, the national waterway construction investment has reached 73.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 30.3 percent. Ports across the country have handled 6.75 billion tons of freight, a year-on-year increase of 7.9 percent, and container throughput touched 122 million TEU, a year-on-year increase of 4.8 percent.
Fu Xuyin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Transport, said that this year, the Ministry of Transport has comprehensively implemented Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. They have served the establishment of new development pattern, worked faster to shore up weaknesses in water transportation infrastructure, and initiated the construction of key infrastructure projects such as the Pinglu Canal. They have consistently promoted cost reduction and efficiency enhancement in water transport, ensuring the priority of pilotage, lock passages, anchoring, and berthing for essential cargo transportation. Efforts have been directed towards enhancing the green and smart transition of water transport, speeding up the construction of a country with great water transport strength, and striving to be a frontier in Chinese modernization journey.
The Ministry of Transport has continued to optimize the functional layout of ports and has worked to see their transformation and upgrading. They have guided local efforts in 10 coastal provinces and 7 provinces along the Yangtze River to establish provincial-level port groups. We have basically achieved the intensive utilization of port resources, integrated operations, orderly competition, and efficient services. The Ministry has strengthened collaboration with provincial authorities to promote the coordinated development of port clusters in the Bohai Sea, Yangtze River Delta, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Great Bay Area, enhancing the overall competitiveness of world-class port clusters. In the first five months, the volume of intermodal rail-water freight grew by 10.2 percent year-on-year. Currently, 11 coastal container hub ports have established one-stop online business service platforms.
July 11th marks the 19th Maritime Day of China, with the theme of " Sail for the New Maritime Silk Road, Heading Towards the New Development Paradigm." The activities for China Maritime Day 2023 mainly consist of one main event and three featured activities. On July 11th, the launching ceremony of China Maritime Day 2023 Forum and China Maritime Week 2023 was held in Cangzhou City, Hebei Province. From July 10th to 15th, the main forum and specialized forums of China Maritime Day will take place in Cangzhou.
Li Tianbi, the Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Transport, Director of the Water Transport Bureau, introduced that main forum of 2023 Maritime Day focuses on authority, while the themed forums highlight professionalism, and the mass activities offer a wide range of diversity. The 2022 annual report on China shipping development will be released at the China Maritime Day 2023 forum. The list of the 2023 National May Day Labor Awards and National Worker Pioneer Awards in the maritime field, and the list of winners of the China Maritime Technology Award will be released as well. Concurrently, nine themed sessions will be held, covering various aspects such as maritime technology and safety, international seafarers, port and shipping enterprise development, dredging, maritime culture, and more. This year, a new event called the Shipmaster and Chief Engineer Salon will be added, and a thematic session commemorating the "50th Anniversary of Cooperation between China and IMO " will be organized.
During the press conference, Fu Xuyin, Li Tianbi, Xiang Hui, the Mayor of Cangzhou City, and Zhang Baochen, Executive Vice President of the China Institute of Navigation, answered journalists' questions regarding water transport infrastructure and fixed asset investment, green and smart development of water transport, and the development of shipping in Cangzhou.
Source from: China transportation news