REGIONAL> Development
Guangxi port handling capacity to hit 100mln tons
By Zhu Yanting (China Daily Guangxi Bureau)
Updated: 2009-07-20 14:43

The Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port's handling capacity is expected to reach 100 million tons by the end of this year, a year ahead of schedule, according to a news conference held last Friday on the production and construction of the Beibu Gulf.

Pan Wei, deputy director-general of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region communications department, said the handling capacity of the new port is increasing faster than expected.

"The new united port has proved to be a success," he said.

The Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port was built at the start of 2009 unifying three smaller ports in Guangxi, namely, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou and Beihai.

Guangxi, located along the coast of the Beibu gulf, has a coastline of almost 1,600 km and acts as a hub connecting China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.

Following the establishment of the Pan Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, Guangxi reached a total throughput of over 80 million tons in 2008, largely due to the region's accelerated integration with ASEAN.