- Chinese customs data showed that in 2022, Fujian realized 135.85 billion yuan of foreign trade in the cross-border e-commerce sector, up 22.1% year-on-year, with 128.64 billion yuan in exports, up 21.1% year-on-year, Fujian Daily reported.
- The second phase is scheduled to be completed in 2025 with more data communication, intelligent application, maritime finance and other functions, according to the association.
- The 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) unveiled in 2021 listed enhancing the brand influence of “Silk Road Maritime” on the work of building the BRI with high quality.
Before its fifth anniversary, the international shipping organisation “Silk Road Maritime” from the Fujian Province of East China unveiled six new international ship routes, bringing the total number of routes to 100. This strengthened the security of the maritime supply chain under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as reported by Global Times.
Silk Road Maritime Meeting
According to the “Silk Road Maritime” Annual Meeting and Spring Summit 2023 held on Thursday in Xiamen, Fujian Province, the association has operated more than 10,000 international ship trips and handled more than 12 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) via its international ship routes, which go to 108 overseas ports in 31 countries and regions. In December 2018, the association was founded.
Foreign trade
As part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the “Silk Road Maritime” organisation established an expedited shipping route from Xiamen to Southeast Asian nations in June 2022 to promote the growth of regional e-commerce marketplaces (RCEP).
As a result of the RCEP’s implementation, ASEAN continued to be China’s top trading partner in 2022, with two-way commerce reaching 6.52 trillion yuan ($950.34 billion), up 15% from the previous year.
According to Chinese customs data, Fujian exported goods worth 128.64 billion yuan in 2022, gaining 21.1% from the previous year and realising 135.85 billion yuan in foreign trade in the cross-border e-commerce industry.
MoU for comprehensive logistics channel
Also, the association established two additional special shipping lanes for iron ore and stone materials in 2022, linking Fujian with Brazil and India. To date, more than 60 ships have used these lanes to transport more than 3.2 million tonnes of cargo.
During the meeting, the association and four railway transport firms—China Railway Nanchang Branch, China Railway Container Transport Co, China Railway Special Cargo Logistics Co, and China Railway Express Co—signed a letter of intent to establish a comprehensive logistics channel using land- and water-based transportation systems to link China’s interior regions with Southeast Asian nations.
Establishment of maritime standards
The association, which now has more than 300 members worldwide, including maritime enterprises, trade companies, and other logistics operators, according to Chen Zhiping, president of the Fujian Provincial Port Group Co., was China’s first maritime-themed logistics international shipping platform under the BRI. He also promised to speed up the establishment of maritime standards within the association to increase cooperation effectiveness.
With a total expenditure of 31.08 million yuan ($4.52 million), the association’s shipping information platform’s first phase has been made operational. It offers a variety of services, including process visualisation, operation monitoring, and cargo space booking. According to the association, the second phase will be finished in 2025 and will include additional data communication, intelligent applications, maritime finance, and other features.
Enhancing the brand influence of “Silk Road Maritime” in the work of establishing the BRI with high quality was one of the objectives of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–25), which was unveiled in 2021. Making the international maritime network layout denser was included in a development outline for contemporary transportation systems published by the State Council in 2022 as a way to increase the brand influence of “Silk Road Maritime.”
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Source: Global Times
