Xing Huina, Deputy Director of the Information Bureau and Spokesperson of the State Council Information Office:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning! Welcome to the press conference hosted by the State Council Information Office. Today, we are honored to have with us Mr. Fu Xuyin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Transport, who will present the smart transformation and upgrading of water transportation, as well as provide an overview of this year’s China Maritime Day. He will also address questions of interest. We are also pleased to be joined by Mr. Yang Huaxiong, Director of the Water Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Transport; Mr. Zhang Baochen, Executive Vice President of the China Institute of Navigation; and Mr. Chen Bo, Deputy District Governor of Tianjin Binhai New Area.
Now, I would like to invite Mr. Fu Xuyin to deliver his overview.
Fu Xuyin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Transport:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good day! It is a great pleasure to be here with all of you today. I sincerely appreciate your continued interest and unwavering support for the transportation industry.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, President Xi Jinping has consistently emphasized the significance of port and shipping development, issuing numerous important directives and guidance. He has profoundly articulated that 'a strong economy must be supported by a strong maritime and shipping power,' and underscored the need to 'strive for world-class smart and green ports,' as well as to 'enhance port capacity, innovate management systems and mechanisms, and develop multifunctional, comprehensive, and modern large ports.' These critical instructions have set a clear direction and provided fundamental guidance for the high-quality development of water transportation. The Ministry of Transport has diligently implemented the spirit of President Xi Jinping's directives, leading to the emergence of four key characteristics in the advancement of water transportation.
In terms of transport volume, waterway transportation has maintained a rapid growth trajectory. In recent years, waterborne freight volumes have consistently reached record highs. In 2023, the total waterborne freight volume reached 9.37 billion tons, surpassing the 9-billion-ton milestone for the first time. From January to May of this year, waterborne freight volumes amounted to 3.86 billion tons, representing a year-on-year increase of 7%. During the same period, port container throughput exceeded 130 million TEUs, reflecting an 8.8% year-on-year growth. In the inland waterway sector, key infrastructure such as the Three Gorges Dam and Changzhou Hub along the main arteries of the Yangtze River and Xijiang River have collectively handled 170 million tons of cargo so far this year, a 13.8% year-on-year increase. Additionally, from January to May, port foreign trade cargo throughput reached 2.22 billion tons, marking an 8.9% year-on-year rise. Both coastal and inland waterway transport, as well as domestic and foreign trade waterborne cargo, are demonstrating strong growth trends. This provides a brief overview of the water transportation sector's performance from January to May of this year.
Investment in waterway construction has continued to operate at a high level. From January to May, fixed asset investment in waterway infrastructure amounted to 78.6 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 7.2%. Several significant waterway projects are advancing steadily. The Pinglu Canal project has cumulatively realized an investment of 33.5 billion yuan, with the three key hubs, namely the three locks of the Pinglu Canal, all progressing into the main lock construction phase. The Xiaoyangshan North Operations Area Container Terminal Project has achieved a cumulative investment of approximately 4.5 billion yuan since its commencement last year. Furthermore, the Yangtze River mainline channel regulation project, which ensures a 6-meter water depth from Wuhan to Anqing, was officially completed and put into operation this year. This accomplishment enables year-round navigation for 10,000-ton-class sea-river vessels directly to Wuhan, significantly contributing to the economic rise of the central region.
At this juncture, I would like to take a moment to briefly introduce this year’s China Maritime Day. July 11 marks the 20th celebration of China Maritime Day. The activities will once again serve as a national and comprehensive platform through the China Maritime Week. The main events include the 2024 China Maritime Day Forum, which will be held in Tianjin's Binhai New Area. On July 11, the official China Maritime Day announcement will be released, accompanied by a series of activities throughout the China Maritime Week. This year’s events promise to be even richer and more distinctive than those of previous years. I would like to take this opportunity to warmly invite our friends from the media to actively participate in and cover this year’s China Maritime Week, in continued support of our port and shipping industry.
This concludes my brief introduction. Thank you.
Xing Huina:
Now, we will open the floor to questions from the media. Please state your organization before asking your question.
Reporter from Daily Economic News:
This year marks the 20th anniversary of China Maritime Day, and we have observed that the theme for this year's event is 'Smart Navigation, Smooth Sailing into the Future.' Could you please elaborate on the rationale behind this theme? Additionally, over the years, how have our Maritime Day activities contributed to the preservation of our transportation heritage and the advancement of the industry? Thank you.
Fu Xuyin:
Thank you for your question. I will now invite my colleague, Mr. Yang Huaxiong, Director of the Water Transport Bureau at the Ministry of Transport, to provide further insights on this topic.
Yang Huaxiong, Director of the Water Transport Bureau, Ministry of Transport:
Thank you to the reporter from Daily Economic News for your excellent question. China Maritime Day is the only maritime-related holiday in China that has been officially approved by the State Council. The theme for this year’s Maritime Day, 'Smart Navigation, Smooth Sailing into the Future,' was carefully selected with two key considerations in mind:
On the one hand, the theme reflects the demands of the new era in maritime industry development. Currently, we are witnessing a new wave of technological and industrial revolutions, with emerging technologies increasingly integrated into various aspects of maritime operations. China is actively exploring advancements in smart navigation, smart ports, and intelligent manufacturing. 'Smart' has indeed become a defining characteristic of the high-quality development of the maritime sector.
On the other hand, the theme aligns with this year’s World Maritime Day theme. July 11 marks both China Maritime Day and the observance of World Maritime Day in China. The theme for this year’s World Maritime Day is 'Navigating the Future: Safety First!' Navigating the future requires us to seize opportunities in digitalization, networking, and intelligence, promoting the integration and innovation of next-generation information technologies with the water transport industry. This continuous empowerment of maritime transformation and upgrading will contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to the development of global maritime activities.
Since its inception, China Maritime Day has evolved into the highest-level, most extensive, and most comprehensive celebration within China’s maritime sector, gaining broad participation from various maritime-related industries and all sectors of society. Its influence has been profound, with significant achievements in three key areas:
First, it has fostered cultural heritage. July 11 is the anniversary of Zheng He's departure on his first voyage during the Ming Dynasty. In 2005, to commemorate the 600th anniversary of Zheng He’s voyages, the State Council designated July 11 as 'China Maritime Day.' The intention is to encourage the public to care for and understand the ocean, thereby enhancing the sense of mission, responsibility, and pride in maritime stewardship. Each year, through a variety of Maritime Day activities, we promote maritime and ocean knowledge, preserve maritime culture, celebrate maritime spirit, and highlight the achievements and exemplary figures within the maritime industry. This has strengthened national maritime awareness and competence, particularly inspiring younger generations to cultivate a passion for the ocean and maritime careers, creating a favorable environment for building a maritime and transportation power.
Second, it has spurred technological innovation. Technological innovation is the core driving force behind the advancement of the maritime industry. In the new era, we have integrated modern technological elements into Maritime Day activities. Each year on Maritime Day, we actively promote maritime science and technology exchanges, release the latest research findings, present maritime science and technology awards, and organize academic exchange activities and maritime science and education expos. These efforts have significantly contributed to fostering technological innovation and talent development in China’s maritime sector.
Lastly, it has fostered high-quality development. As we know, the ocean is a strategic frontier for achieving high-quality development. We have made vigorous efforts to strengthen and revitalize our maritime capabilities. Every year, on Maritime Day, we convene high-level forums to exchange development insights, formulate sound strategies, and promote the high-quality development of the maritime industry. As a result, China's marine economy has seen remarkable progress, with port throughput consistently leading the world, and world-class port clusters rapidly emerging. The maritime industry in China is thriving with dynamic vitality.
That's all for my introduction today, thank you!
Science and Technology Daily reporter:
In recent years, the application fields of new technologies in the shipping industry has gradually expanded. Could you please tell us what work has been done by the CIN to promote scientific and technological innovations in the field of navigation in China? Thank you.
Zhang Baochen, Executive Vice Chairman of the CIN:
Thank you for your question from the Science and Technology Daily. As a national maritime and comprehensive academic organization, the CIN has been doing its best to develop navigation science and technology, prosper nautical culture, serve and work jointly with the vast number of maritime science and technology workers, and constantly explore newer, more diverse and effective working methods, such as academic exchanges, group standards, scientific and technological services, reward and evaluation, talent education and recommendation, science popularization education and think tank consultation. Specifically, in the face of the frontier and development trend of maritime science and technology, the Institute has mainly carried out work in two aspects, and in view of the time constraints, I will mainly give you an introduction from these two perspectives.
Firstly, we have been carrying out forecasts of marine science and technology. Every five years, we publish a report on the development of maritime science and technology, through which we review the level of development in the past, look forward to the future trend, and make suggestions for the future. At the same time, we also collect major scientific, engineering and industrial problems every year. For example, "How to break through the engineering and technological problems in manufacturing and safety guarantee of navigation equipment in deep-sea and far-sea " was selected as one of the top ten engineering and technological difficulties of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) in 2021.
Secondly, we have been focusing on the core direction and taking multiple measures. Nowadays, a green, low carbon, intelligent and resilient shipping industry is the general future development trend, and the Institute also carries out different ways of working around these key directions. For example, in terms of the major, long-term issues of intelligent, green and low-carbon construction, we organized the Shipping Power Summit during the China Maritime Week, and we also invited the highest level of talents of production, academy, research, practice and governance in the field of navigation to discuss and study the relevant issues, seek consensus and put forward development proposals. Focusing on a number of areas, such as maritime safety and emergency response, maritime intelligence, and green and low-carbon shipping, the CIN has set up national-level expert consulting teams to carry out research on these issues and to consult with the industry and enterprises. The teams we have formed have also produced many good results, and we have also organized the research and compilation of the Roadmap for the Development of Intelligent Shipping Industry and Technology and the Roadmap for New Energy and Green Energy Powered Ship Technologies. Last year, we held the first World Congress on Maritime Science and Technology under the theme of ‘Intelligent Shipping’, inviting advanced countries to come to China to discuss with our scientists and experts on how to develop maritime intelligence. Taking advantage of this opportunity, we also presented the world's first and largest autonomous vessel ‘Zhifei’, which was independently developed in China, to experts from all over the world for observation and sharing of research results. At the same time, we have also created a mechanism to promote the integration of industrial chain, capital chain and talent chain, and built a platform to promote the application of the results. In addition, we have tilted towards these key areas in the formation of expert committees, assessment of scientific and technological awards, and nurturing of young scientific and technological talents.
Due to time constraints, that's all, thank you.
Guangming Daily Reporter:
There are still two weeks to go before the China Maritime Day on July 11, as the host place of the 20th China Maritime Week, what is the current preparation status of Binhai New Area? Thank you.
Chen Bo, Deputy Governor of Tianjin Binhai New Area:
I would like to thank my friend, the reporter from Guangming Daily, for his interest in our work. It should be said that Binhai New Area is very fortunate and honored to be the host place of the 20th China Maritime Day, and we are especially grateful to the Ministry of Transport and the CIN for their full trust. There are still two weeks to go before the opening of the China Maritime Week, and the preparatory work has entered the final sprint stage. Since the preparatory work for this year's China Maritime Week was launched, under the support of the Ministry of Transport, the professional guidance of the CIN, and the strong leadership of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, the Party Committee and District Government of the Binhai New Area have attached great importance to the work, and we have set up a special co-ordination force and set up 10 working groups to work together and push forward the preparatory work with all our strength. We are working in three main aspects:
First of all, we focus on the considerate and warm-hearted services, and do a good job of guaranteeing the work at a high standard. For example, in terms of venue support, we have realized the project-oriented, inventory-oriented, and node- oriented transformation, strengthened the scheduling and implementation of the entire venue support, clarified the reception standards and catering categories of the reception hotels, and ensured that the entire event is safe, high-quality and efficient. In terms of volunteer services, 400 volunteers were recruited to carry out the work of exhibition etiquette, venue guidance, etc. The training of volunteers in shipping knowledge, including city and district conditions, was strengthened to improve the quality of volunteer services. In terms of logistics services, we have also strengthened the relevant power, communication, medical and other security measures, established an emergency response mechanism, and carried out green service channels to provide comprehensive services for the guests.
Secondly, we highlight the accessibility to the masses and plan the cultural activities at a high level. During the week, more than 10 mass cultural activities will be carried out, such as cultural performances, maritime theme exhibitions, Chinese nautical chart show, children's art creativity exhibition, etc. The general public can actively participate in and positively experience these cultural activities, enhance their marine awareness and quality of navigation, and stimulate the love of the ocean and maritime industry. In addition, the relevant departments at the municipal level will also actively carry out mass nautical cultural activities throughout the city to further expand the social influence and mass participation of the Maritime Day.
Thirdly, we highlight the main theme of navigation, and do a high-quality job of creating a good atmosphere. Around the promotion of the spirit of the new era of navigation and the theme of the event —"Smart Navigation, Smooth Sailing in the Future", the media of municipal and district levels will set up columns on nautical culture and nautical science and technology during the week, and the National Maritime Museum and the Aircraft Carrier Theme Park will also substantially increase the content of nautical science popularization education. In addition, Tianjin will also open the Tianjin International Shipping Exhibition 2024 on 10th July. We will further publicize and promote the development achievements of Binhai New Area, and let more friends at home and abroad know, understand and love Binhai by creating the atmosphere at the main roads, traffic stations, and popular attractions around the main venue and making use of the National Maritime Week as a national carrier and the China Maritime Day Forum as an international exchange platform.
On the basis of the existing foundation, we will further refine and upgrade the preparation to ensure that the work is further deepened, detailed and practical, so as to present a joyful, enthusiastic and exciting maritime event for the people of the whole country. We would like to take this opportunity to invite friends from all walks of life, including the media, to visit Binhai New Area and experience the vitality of the city. Thank you!
Haibao News Reporter:
What are the new highlights to look forward to in this year's Maritime Day activities compared to the previous ones? Thank you.
Fu Xuyin:
I would like to invite my colleague, Mr Zhang Baochen, Executive Vice President of the CIN, to introduce to you the highlights of this year's Maritime Day.
Zhang Baochen:
Thank you, Minister Fu, and thank you, fellow journalists. I think the issues you mentioned are also the common concerns of the general public who follow the Maritime Day activities. As Minister Fu said, this is the 20th Maritime Day. For 20 years, China has organized all kinds of activities on the Maritime Day, including national events, and a host city was chosen each year to host the main event. In the process of this event, how to create highlights and ensure the sustainable development of the event is also a direction that the organizers are actively pursuing. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Transport and the guidance of China Maritime Day Organizing Committee, China Institute of Navigation (CIN) and the organizers, with the support of various undertaking units, are fully committed to the event. On the one hand, we must continue to uphold fundamental principles and develop the event, that’s why current Maritime Day event has evolved from a single-day event to a week-long event, becoming more and more rich and popular among the public. On the other hand, how to innovate and keep on creating new highlights is what we have been working hard on. From the perspective of upholding the fundamental principles, this year we have arranged for all Chinese ships to be fully flagged on Maritime Day, maritime institutions to hang colorful flags. At 9 a.m. on July 11th, all Chinese ships will sound whistles and National maritime-related schools, exhibition halls, museums, and science popularization bases will also be fully open to the public. On July 11th, the Maritime Day Organizing Committee will issue a Maritime Day announcement to the society, and there will be a variety of rich and colorful activities all over the country. Due to time constraints, I won't go into details, but in short, the aim is to make the activities enjoyable and attractive enough for the majority of maritime enthusiasts to participate.
From the perspective of the main event, this year, we are trying to create highlights from three aspects:
Firstly, we highlight internationality, theme, professionalism, and cutting-edge nature to create a high-end domestic and international exchange platform in the field of navigation. The core main event is the China Maritime Day Forum, which includes a main forum and more than a dozen themed forums, all focusing on the new features, new trends, new technologies, and new business forms of current maritime development, covering various aspects including ship safety technology, seafarer services, smart port and navigation, green transformation of shipping, maritime safety education, and maritime cultural construction. Secondly, the China Navigation Academic Conference will invite academicians from Chinese Academy of Engineering, the National Institute of Excellent Engineers Team and representatives of special prize projects of China Navigation Sci-Tech Prize to give academic reports and hold themed seminars on shipping green development. Excellent papers will be presented in academic conference.
Secondly, we highlight the authority, typicality, and richness of the main forum and the launch ceremony of the China Maritime Week. At that time, the China Shipping Development Report, smart port construction achievements, list of safety integrity shipping companies, and ships will be released. We will also take this opportunity to announce the national May 1st Labor Award and National Workers Vanguard in the field of navigation, as well as the list of winners of the China Navigation Sci-Tech Prize. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 75th anniversary of the “Hai Liao” ship uprising of the China Merchants Group. This year, we will invite the captain of the “Hai Liao” ship to make an initiative themed “make new contributions to accelerating the construction of a country with great transport strength and water transport” in the release part.
Thirdly, we highlight public participation. This year, some activities of the main event will be broadcast live so that everyone can watch in real-time. The National Maritime Museum of China will hold a maritime culture forum, the launch ceremony of the maritime science popularization season, the opening ceremony of the maritime science popularization summer camp, and an exhibition of excellent works of the maritime calligraphy and painting competition for primary and secondary school students. At the same time, we will also hold “Craftsmen Talk Navigation” science popularization lectures, China's maritime chart special exhibition, and other activities, which will provide the public with a comprehensive, multi-angle maritime science popularization and cultural experience platform, allowing the public to gain rich knowledge of maritime history and culture while also personally feeling the charm of maritime culture.
Next year marks the 20th anniversary of China Maritime Day. We will focus on this theme to further innovate and we are glad to learn from all of you.
Nanfang Metropolis Daily Reporter:
This year's Maritime Day event will be held in the Tianjin Binhai New Area of Tianjin. What’s the Tianjin's special maritime culture, and what measures are being taken to promote the development of shipping? Thank you.
Fu Xuyin:
Thank you for the question. As we all know, Tianjin has a profound historical and cultural maritime heritage and a well-developed maritime industry. In recent years, Tianjin has made great achievements in developing modern port economy, improving the collection, distribution and transportation system, and enhancing the functions of the shipping center. Having considered the above factors, we have chosen Tianjin Binhai New Area as the main venue for this year’s Maritime Day event. In addition, there are some other factors, please let Chen Bo, Deputy District Governor of Tianjin Binhai New Area, introduce more to us.
Chen Bo:
Thanks to Vice Minister Fu Xuyin, and thank you for your question from Nanfang Metropolis Daily. Thanks for Deputy Minister Xuyin’s brief introduction of some conditions of the new area. Binhai New Area is located on the east coast of Tianjin and at the intersection of the Bohai Economic Rim and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, and is the nearest starting point of the Eurasian Continental Bridge in the east with a coastline of 153 kilometers and a maritime area of 2,146 square kilometers. Therefore, Tianjin has the innate endowment of development driven by the sea. The following are several advantages:
Firstly, the port advantage is unique. Tianjin Port is the maritime gateway hub of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the “three north” areas, and after many years of development, it has become a composite large port with multiple transportation functions such as containers, dry bulk cargo port, and roll-on/roll-off vehicles, maintaining trade with more than 180 countries and regions and more than 500 ports. In 2023, Tianjin Port’s cargo throughput amounted to 560 million tons, and the container throughput reached 22.18 million TEUs, setting a historical record and ranking among the top ten ports in the world for many years. At the same time, the Tianjin International Cruise Home Port is the first cruise home port in northern China. It is expected to receive 100 cruises this year, the domestic and foreign tourists will reach 300,000, with the revenue reaching more than 330 billion yuan. These make Tianjin become one of the first batch of national demonstration cities for marine economy innovative development.
Thirdly, marine culture is profound and long-standing. Binhai New Area is one of the birthplaces of China’s sea salt production, and the early fishing salt industry appeared during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. There are also the Beitang Ancient Town which, as historians remark, represents the half history of the late Qing dynasty, the National Maritime Museum of China, which is known as the “Maritime Forbidden City”, and Tianjin Binhai Library and other new landmarks of internet celebrities. All of these create a vivid situation where traditional culture and fashion exchange complement each other, and historical accumulation and modern civilization coexist harmoniously.
In the next step of development, we will always take serving major national strategies as our own responsibility, focus on building a world-class smart port, green port, and the functional positioning of the core area for northern international shipping. We deeply implement the port-industry-city integration development strategy, accelerate the development of shipping economy, shipping finance, maritime services and other shipping service industries, make sea-rail intermodal transport, cold chain logistics, cross-border e-commerce and other hub economies bigger and stronger, actively cultivate emerging industries, promote deep integration and overall development of ports, industries, and cities, and better serve the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the “Belt and Road” initiative, making contributions to the new journey of comprehensively advancing Chinese modernization. Thank you!
Xing Huina:
Today's press conference is over now, thanks to the four spokespersons, and thanks to all the media friends, goodbye.
(Source from: the official website of the Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China)