Important Chinese Ports

As you might imagine, you can’t have an important maritime industry if you don’t have large ports to handle the coming and going of freight. At least eight ports in China are among the 30 busiest in the world for freight containers; these ports ensure that commercial traffic continues unabated around the world. Here is some information about China’s booming ports at Shanghai, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo and Dalian.

Port of Shanghai

You can find the world’s busiest commercial port near the middle of China’s 11,000 mile long coast. The port is also China’s largest, and an increasingly important place for foreign trade. The commerce done through the port of Shanghai is equivalent to a quarter of all of China’s foreign trade. Over 2,000 freight liners leave the port each month, traveling to all major ports in the world.

The port is located in Shanghai, where the Yangtze river flows into the East China Sea. The Yangtze links the port with waterways inside China, making its position even more favorable. The port is also located in a very developed industrial area, surrounded by the highly populated Jianghan Plain and Sichuan Basin, which help provide the necessary labor to operate such a huge port.

Port of Shenzhen

This port is one of the fastest expanding trade centers in mainland China. Geographically, it is located in the south, only 20 sea miles from Hong Kong. This placement makes it the most important port for trade between the economically flourishing island and the mainland. Nearly 35 million tons of cargo passed through the port in 2005, and it continues to increase by double-digit percentages. The port is expanding by building more container berths and container port areas.

Port of Tianjin

Tianjin port is located at the mouth of the Haihe river, in Bohai bay on the Chinese coast. The construction of the port marks the largest artificial harbor and river port in the world. Liners travel from Tianjin port to 300 ports around the world.

Port of Guangzhou

The port of Guangzhou is currently the largest comprehensive port in the south of China. The port serves the Pearl River Delta region, the Guangdong province, and the surrounding provinces of Yunnan, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxai, and more. In 2009, it had 364 million tons of throughput, making it the 4th largest port on the Chinese mainland.

Port of Xiamen

Port Xiamen is located in the Fujian Province on the Chinese coast, close to the island of Taiwan. It is the 30th largest container port in the world, and the 8th largest on the mainland of the People’s Republic of China.

Port of Ningbo

The port of Ningbo sees some of the most shipping traffic in China—it is one of the few ports in China to exceed 100 million tons of throughput in a year. Geographically, the port is located in Zhejiang province. It trades manufactured goods and raw materials with nearly 600 ports around the world.

Port of Dalian

Dalian port, located on the Yellow Sea in north China, is the second largest container shipment port in the mainland. Its location makes it an important center of trade for the Pacific, although it also has trading routes with 300 ports around the world.

Sources: