Official calls for more cooperation between mainland and Taiwan ports
CLOSER cooperation between ports on the mainland and in Taiwan is needed to gain larger share of the world's shipping market, says Chen Deming, president of Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, reports Xinhua.
Speaking on a recent visit to the port of Taichung, Mr Chen said he had made detailed inquiries on Taichung's operations in bonded business, logistics, warehousing and investment attraction and had also visited Taipei and Kaohsiung.
Being the second largest port in Taiwan, Taichung, located at central region, offers value-added logistics services and is a major port of import for energy resources, petroleum, chemicals and oil. The port covers a 600-hectare free trade area.
Last year, Taichung handled 18.16 million tonnes of cross-strait direct freight, accounting for 16.34 per cent of its total throughput. Direct shipping containers amounted to 436,000 TEU, taking up 31.3 per cent of the total. The port is also operating scheduled direct passenger shipping service to Xiamen and Pingtan.
The Port of Suzhou's business range is similar to Taichung's, he said, and they can strengthen their cooperation adding that mainland investors can also invest in Taichung.
There are not enough high value-added services such as international distribution between ports on both shores, they should work together to vie for larger share of the world's shipping market.
"This is promising", Mr Chen said, as the world's economic globalisation all begins at coastal regions, because ocean shipping enjoys much lower cost than ground and air transport.
Across the globe, logistics flows and exchange of commodities, as well as the landscape of industry chains and value chains are all taking harbours as their centres, he said, and this is something the entrepreneurs in both mainland and Taiwan should notice.
