Gaolan zone seen as key springboard for growth

Improved infrastructure and more international sea routes for the Gaolan Port Economic Zone are putting Zhuhai in a more favorable position to get involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Gaolan Port Economic Zone, located in the southwest of Zhuhai, has launched a raft of new projects, as it builds a modern port and logistics center under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Zhuhai should promote its port industry and build up the Gaolan zone as an important springboard for growth for the city's economic development, said Guo Yuanqiang, Party chief of the city.

In July, the Gaolan zone launched 28 new projects, valued at 10.6 billion yuan ($1.61 billion). When all the projects are put into operation, Gaolan will add annual industrial output to the city estimated at 38.4 billion yuan.

The Gaolan port has launched 14 domestic and foreign sea routes and 56 container shipment routes this year.

With the operation of more routes, the port's cargo throughput surged to 59.17 million metric tons in first six months of the current year, an increase of 41 percent on the previous corresponding period.

The port has built 67 mooring berths, including 26 berths capable of handling 10,000-ton vessels, transforming it into an international logistics center in southern China.

"The Gaolan zone will integrate with the Belt and Road Initiative to deepen communications and cooperation with countries and regions along it," a senior executive of the zone said.

As a main player of the port-related business, Zhuhai Port Holdings Group Co Ltd has opened 64 routes for container vessels, of which 19 are international trade routes, linking Japan, Vietnam, South Pacific as well as China's Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.

The port group is also promoting the operation of a direct route from Gaolan port to Brazil's Vitoria harbor, as well as the construction of Pakistan's Gwadar port, the Guizhou (Changming) international land port, and the Latin-American comprehensive logistics center.

Liang Xuemin, former general manager of the company, said: "As the main force behind the development of Zhuhai port, we will strengthen cooperation with large shipping companies, ports and cities along the Maritime Silk Road, to open more sea routes along the Belt and Road Initiative."

In the first three quarters of this year, the port group saw cargo throughput of 92.23 million tons, up 42.31 percent from a year ago; and its container throughput, 1.69 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit), up 47.65 percent. The company is expected to help Zhuhai's ports to expand its throughput handling capacity to 200 million tons annually, including container capacity of 3.78 million TEUs by 2020.

(China Daily 11/29/2017 page15)