Shenzhen port recorded a 53 per cent year-on-year rise in container throughput last year, when 2.98 million 20-foot equivalent units (teu) passed through harbours.
Shenzhen Municipal People's Government deputy secretary-general Tang Yaozhi said development of Shenzhen port would turn it into an international hub for the south of the mainland.
Despite these developments, Shenzhen port - grouping Yantian, Shekou and Chiwan ports - would play only a complementary role to Hong Kong, Mr Tang said, adding the combined resources of both ports would provide the industry with an international transport centre in southern China.
This role had become clear as the number of containers being fed from Shenzhen to Hong Kong had risen from 172,000 teu in 1995 to 752,000 teu in 1998 and 900,000 teu last year.
He said the rapid development of Shenzhen port and port-related transport industries had become the new economic focus in Shenzhen.
'Following China's accession to the World Trade Organisation, we foresee that China's economy will develop even more robustly and so will the socio-economic stature of Shenzhen.' Shenzhen, which ranked eighth among mainland coastal ports and second in container throughput terms after Shanghai, expects to handle 45 million tonnes of cargo and 3.5 million teu this year.