HONG KONG'S POSITION as the sole gateway to China is a thing of the past. Today, exports from the 'world's factory' are shipped through a wide range of ports and new airports.
Not only are there more alternatives, but port handling charges are cheaper on the mainland, allowing exporters to save up to a third on shipping costs.
As a result, market share of cargo shipped from the Pearl River Delta has slipped from
90 per cent to about 50 per cent, with growth stalling to marginal levels.
But Hong Kong remains a premier logistics hub, despite Singapore claiming the title of the world's busiest container port this year, with Shanghai and Shenzhen in third and fourth places.
On the strength of port rankings, some analysts have been quick to assume a down-trend in Hong Kong's logistics industry.
But if the logistics industry is declining, no one has noticed at Kerry Logistics, which was honoured as the most outstanding local operator in last year's inaugural Hong Kong Logistics Awards.
