Reforming and Developing China’s Port Sector
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BOX 2.1
Port development under China’s 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Five-Year Plans 11th Five-Year Plan (2006–10) • Build equipment to handle large ships, including container ships carrying more than 10,000 standard containers. • Optimize the layout of coastal and river ports. • Increase ports’ throughput capacity. • Construct bulk goods and container transport systems at major coastal ports. 12th Five-Year Plan (2011–15) • Modernize coastal port groups. • Construct more coal, crude oil, iron ore, and container terminals at coastal ports. • Construct about 440 berths for ships weighing 10,000 tons or more. • Deepen the integration of port and coast resources and optimize port layouts. 13th Five-Year Plan (2016–20) • Improve and upgrade clusters of ports in the Bohai Sea Rim, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl
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River Delta based on coordination and division of work. Construct international shipping centers at major harbor cities. Construct specialized berths for containers, crude oil, and liquefied natural gas at coastal harbors. Increase the level of intelligent systems used in harbors. Improve port transport and distribution systems. Establish a new model of coordinated oversight of maritime affairs.
14th Five-Year Plan (2021–25) • Standardize and reduce port and shipping charges. • Increase synergies between port clusters. • Promote integrated governance of the Yangtze River Delta port cluster. • Coordinate the functional layout of ports and airports in the Guangdong–Hong Kong SAR, China– Macao SAR, China greater bay area. • Promote connectivity to create a new international land and sea trade corridor.
Sources: Ministry of Transport 2007a, 2011, 2017, 2022.
geographically delimited area, (2) a single management or administration, (3) benefits based on physical location within the zone, and (4) a separate customs area (duty-free benefits) and streamlined procedures (World Bank 2009). Of the several types of SEZs in China, the following are particularly relevant to port sector development. • National economic and technological development zones. By 1984, after the early success of the first four SEZs (Shantou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, and Zhuhai) had been confirmed, China resolved to open its economy further by extending similar favorable policies to 14 “coastal open cities.” Legally, these zones are now officially known as economic and technological development zones (ETDZs) (China Internet Information Center, n.d.). Within ETDZs, national export-processing zones can be developed. • Bonded zones. Bonded zones run by the customs authorities were introduced in 1990. Bonded port areas date from 2005; bonded logistics zones from 2013. Their areas are quite small and they are nearly always located within an SEZ (Herlevi 2016). • Free trade zones. Free trade zones were established in areas with geographical advantages for trade, such as major seaports and international airports.
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