Ningbo Zhoushan Port demonstrates resilience amid trade challenges

Ningbo Zhoushan Port in east China's Zhejiang Province is demonstrating resilience in the face of U.S. tariffs by launching new trade routes and adapting swiftly to evolving market demands.

Ningbo, a hub for international trade, has further strengthened its position by embracing innovative solutions such as direct maritime routes and enhanced connectivity to Europe.

Building on this resilience, Ningbo Zhoushan Port unveiled the "China-Europe Express" in December 2024, a direct maritime route to Europe offering seamless "point-to-point" service. This innovation not only slashes shipment times but also reinforces the port's adaptability to global trade challenges.

"Previously, cargo shipped from Hefei City in east China to Europe went through the China-Europe Railway Express or traditional sea routes, which took about 40 days. Now, it only takes 27 days on the Anhui-Ningbo-Europe express route," said Gu Xuhui, marketing director for Zhejiang Seaport Logistics.

The express route connects the "China-Europe Express" with a freight railway from east China’s Anhui Province to facilitate more exporters.

Europe has become one of the major destinations for the port.

"Between January and April, we handled 1.31 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TUEs), up six to seven percentage points year on year," said He Binli, vice manager of Operations with Ningbo Daxie Container Terminal.

While the port is fully prepared for potential foreign trade fluctuations, exporters in the city are also shifting their focus to other markets.

Xu Ziyang, a seasoned medical equipment exporter, began preparing as early as 2017, driven by concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies towards China.

"[U.S. tariffs] have had little impact on us. In fact, we started adjusting back in 2017 to 2019, during his previous term. We aligned with China’s national strategy to expand into Belt and Road countries, as well as South American and African markets," said Xu, general manager of Ningbo Greeted Medical Instruments.

Xu’s sales jumped by 12 percent in 2024, and he expects continued growth this year.

Ningbo Zhoushan Port demonstrates resilience amid trade challenges

The first 5,000-tonne-class intelligent eco-friendly vessel is set to begin trial navigation on Wednesday on the Pinglu Canal in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a landmark waterway that stands as the country's first digitalized smart canal linking rivers with the sea.

The vessel, named "Beigang Yunhe 002," is a dual-purpose carrier designed for both container and bulk cargo. Tailor-made to maximize single-lock throughput on the Pinglu Canal, it is equipped with intelligent features such as route planning, collision alert systems, and remote-sensing monitoring. A single canal lock can accommodate up to six such ships at a time.

The first batch of four such intelligent vessels has already been completed at a shipyard in Guigang City of Guangxi. Trial navigations will be rolled out successively for each unit, with final delivery slated for this August.

Stretching 134.2 kilometers from the Pingtang River in Guangxi's Hengzhou City to the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea, the Pinglu Canal is the backbone of the country's New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a key initiative that enhances global trade connectivity for China's western inland regions.

The waterway is expected to open to full navigation this September. Once it becomes fully operational, the Pinglu Canal will facilitate the direct shipment of goods from Guangxi and the neighboring Yunnan and Guizhou provinces through the Xijiang river system to ports in the Beibu Gulf of Guangxi, rather than routing them through Guangdong in south China. This strategic shift is projected to significantly reduce the shipping distance by approximately 560 kilometers.

First smart ship for China's flagship Pinglu Canal project set for trial voyage