The Chinese government yesterday approved a national plan for
sea port distribution and medium and long-term proposals for the
shipbuilding industry. The proposals were approved at a meeting of
the State Council chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.
It was agreed at the meeting that a reasonable distribution of
ports along the Chinese coast was of significant importance to
national transport networks and the expansion of China's foreign
trade.
The plan calls for improved coordination between regions in the
development of ports and stresses the importance of these
facilities raising their capacity to achieve economies of
scale.
The meeting agreed that port development should focus on coal,
crude oil, iron ore and container systems before 2010. China's
dynamic economy and explosive trade growth have sparked off a wave
of port developments and expansions in recent years involving tens
of billions of yuan in investment.
Shanghai, Qingdao, Shenzhen and a number of other Chinese ports
are now among the busiest in the world.
On shipbuilding the meeting pointed out that it was an industry
where China has a competitive advantage in international terms and
that should be further strengthened over the next?10
years.
The meeting called for more efforts to be made to encourage
technical innovation in shipbuilding, to pursue a greater market
share of that business through international cooperation and to
strengthen personnel development.?
China, with around 14 percent share of the global market, is now
the world's third largest shipbuilder after Japan and South
Korea.?
(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2006)