China urges Australia to fully protect Chinese company's lawful interests: FM spokesman

Chinese company's legitimate rights and interests should be fully protected in Darwin Port of Australia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

Guo made the remarks in response to a media query regarding the Australian government's demand for the sale of Darwin Port from its Chinese owner.

"I would like to reiterate that the relevant Chinese company obtained the lease of Darwin Port through market means, and its legitimate rights and interests should be fully protected," said Guo.

Chinese company Landbridge Group got a 99-year lease of Darwin Port through an open and transparent bidding process approved by Australia's Northern Territory government in 2015.

However, Australia has lately been seeking to end the deal and reclaim the operating right of the port.

China's shipbuilding industry is stepping up efforts to move towards greener and higher-end production, as national plans emphasize upgrading manufacturing capabilities to strengthen global competitiveness.

The sector, regarded as a key national strategic industry, is seeing coordinated moves by both state-owned and private enterprises to accelerate technological upgrading, particularly in advanced and environmentally friendly vessels.

Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co., one of China's oldest state-owned shipbuilders, has made progress in recent years in high-end ship types such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. Its expanding order book reflects the success of a broader shift toward more sophisticated production.

"We now hold orders for 144 ships, up nearly 60 percent from about 70 ships at the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025)," said Jiang Hongliang, production director of Dalian Shipbuilding Industry.

Under the 15th Five-Year Plan, which covers the period from 2026 to 2030, China is aiming for significant expansion of production for green and advanced vessels, including large LNG carriers, ultra-large container ships, and offshore engineering equipment. Dalian Shipbuilding Industry is advancing these goals through upgrades in technology and production efficiency.

"In the future, our shipbuilding model will be like building blocks; breaking work into smaller, standardized modules, forming specialized production lines and assigning workers to specific tasks, which improves overall efficiency. Through cost reduction and efficiency gains, our broader goal is to shorten production cycles and raise operational efficiency," Jiang said.

Private enterprises are also playing a growing role in the sector's transformation. Hengli Group, a major private shipbuilding player, completed construction of a modern ship production base in Dalian in just 150 days, setting a new benchmark for domestic shipyard development.

The facility is designed to support both high-quality manufacturing and rapid capacity expansion, aligning with national plans that encourage private enterprises to participate in industrial upgrading.

"I knew shipbuilding was hard, but I never realized it was this hard. It is labor-intensive, capital-intensive and technology-intensive," said Chen Jianhua, chairman of Hengli.

Hengli plans to refine its production strategy further by moving toward large-scale, batch manufacturing, a shift aimed at improving efficiency and strengthening competitiveness in the global market.

"So we want to transform the industry and lead it. In the future, it will no longer be about building ships one by one to specific specifications. We will build 10, 20, 30 or even more ships in batches. Our goal is to build ships we can price ourselves," Chen said.

From state-owned enterprises advancing high-end vessel production to private firms rapidly building intelligent manufacturing bases, China's shipbuilding industry continues to move forward under the 15th Five-Year Plan, with a focus on integrating intelligent manufacturing with green production to enhance core competitiveness and sustainability.