Aerial photo taken on March 18, 2020 shows the container dock of Yangshan Port in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)
BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- With Shanghai speeding up pace of constructing a global shipping hub through strengthening the capability of mobilizing global resources to serve the establishment of the new development pattern and enhance global influence, here are its major developments in 2020 as summarized by China Economic Information Service of Xinhua News Agency:
-- Shanghai is called to speed up the joint building of a global shipping hub together with the Yangtze River Delta region to improve overall competitiveness and influence during the Celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Development and Opening-up of Pudong in November.
-- Shanghai is ranked as one of the top three international shipping centers following Singapore and London by Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Center Development Index released in July, thanks to its world-top container throughput, optimizing collecting and distribution system as well as improving business environment. Its container throughput reached a record high of 43.5 million of TEUs in 2020, ranking the world's first for eleven consecutive years.
-- Under the hit of COVID-19, Shanghai was the world's first to issue crew shift rules back in March in a bid to stabilize logistics under strict epidemic prevention and control measures. Such crew shifting provided a reference for other places in China and the world.
-- Shanghai made efforts to provide safe and efficient transportation services amid pandemic as an international aviation hub. Pudong Airport, for example, refreshed its record by securing 415 all-cargo freighters' takeoffs and landings on May 14. Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao Airports handled 61.64 million passengers and 4.03 million tonnes of cargo and mails in 2020, contributing Shanghai's strength to the stability of the global industrial and supply chain.
-- China's first domestically built large cruise ship was transferred to the docks in Shanghai for assembly in November and is expected to be delivered in 2023. Built by the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited, the vista-class cruise ship marks the country's great leap from overall design, production and construction to final assembly and loading.
-- The first phase of the Yangtze River Estuary South Passage Channel Improvement Project passed overall acceptance and was put into trial operation in June, indicating that the Yangtze River Estuary has added a high-quality auxiliary channel on the basis of the existing 12.5-meter-deep main channel with the two channels complementing each other.
-- The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index based on Settled Rates (SCFIS) was officially launched by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange in November, laying foundation for innovative exploration of shipping freight index futures.
-- Yangshan comprehensive bonded area passed acceptance by authorities in May. As the only special comprehensive bonded area among China's 151 special customs supervision zones, it is the most "open" among special customs supervision zones.
-- COSCO Shipping Lines, SIPG and other shipping companies and terminal operators completed the signing of the Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN) shareholder agreement in February, marking an important step forward towards the official establishment of GSBN, the first blockchain alliance in the shipping industry.
-- China Maritime Forum 2020, themed on Work Together to Facilitate the Flow of Goods was held on July 11 along with other activities such as sailing display, nautical carnival and Shanghai International Shipping Center Construction Achievement Exhibition, to celebrate the Maritime Day of China.
(Edited by Niu Huizhe with Xinhua Silk Road, niuhuizhe@xinhua.org)
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