The Communist Party and the Shenzhen Municipal Gvernment have proposed a development plan to build Shenzhen into a shipping and logistics hub,. Shenzhen vice-mayor Guo Rongjun says.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the opening of the Shenzhen branch of P&O Nedlloyd (China) last week, Mr. Guo said a series of policy decisions to develop the shipping industry had been made.
The plan to build Shenzhen into a regional shipping and logistics hub by 2010 had been proposed by the Transportation Bureau at an international conference of shipping held in Shenzhen last yer.
Experts were optimistic that the plan was realistic, he said.
P&O Nedlloyd Asia's region and trades managing director Remi Speld said the opening of the Shenzhen branch was an important milestone in the company's mainland trade development and would enhance its capability to provide quality services to customers in Shenzhen and in the Pearl River Delta.
The branch status would enable P&O Nedlloyd to solicit cargo, issue bills of loading and collect freight instead of using state agents in southern China.
Over the past five years, the volume of export growth had been about 20 per cent annually. Growth had been 35 - 50 per cent in the past two years.