Nation modernizing border ports to boost trade, business activities

Customs officials verify documentation of a container ship in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [YAO FENG/FOR CHINA DAILY]

China will modernize its border ports, focusing on strengthening connectivity with neighboring countries to boost foreign trade and foster new business activities, a senior Customs official said on Monday.

Zhang Baofeng, director of the National Office of Port Administration at the General Administration of Customs (GAC), said that a robust ecosystem of smart interconnection, collaborative coordination and efficient operations among all ports will be established by 2030, in order to further facilitate cross-border trade.

Ports, including border ports, seaports and international airports, are gateways to a country's external engagement and serve as vital bridges for foreign exchange, economic collaboration and trade. They are essential infrastructure for fostering openness to the outside world.

"We will actively leverage the role of border ports in promoting the import and export of goods and the movement of people, ensuring smooth logistics flows and boosting economic and trade exchanges," said Zhang.

Yunnan province, for example, has a border stretching over 4,000 kilometers, shared with neighboring Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. It has established 22 border trade markets, covering all border prefectures and cities, Zhang added.

In 2023, Yunnan's border trade amounted to 20.03 billion yuan ($2.82 billion), up 55.3 percent year-on-year, promoting the economic and social development of border areas, data from Kunming Customs show.

The total import and export cargo volume through China's border ports reached 181 million metric tons last year, accounting for 4.16 percent of the national total, said the GAC.

China has 311 ports open to the outside world across the country, They include 125 seaports, 85 airports, 17 railway ports and 84 road ports.

Among these, 95 are border ports, which serve as important channels for the movement of people and trade between China and its neighboring countries. China currently has established border ports with 11 neighboring countries.

Zhang said these border ports have brought in a substantial flow of people, goods and capital to border regions, strengthening China's economic ties with neighboring countries, promoting regional economic integration, and becoming key nodes in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as powerful engines for the growth of border provinces and autonomous regions.

For instance, the China-Laos Railway, which opened in 2021, has become a landmark BRI project, quickly developing into a "golden corridor" between China and Southeast Asia, supporting mutual cooperation and benefiting surrounding regions, he said.

As of Sept 16, more than 10 million tons of goods have been imported and exported via the China-Laos Railway. China-made mechanical and electrical products, agricultural goods, as well as natural rubber and tropical fruits from Laos and Thailand are also being transported in both directions, significantly boosting trade exchanges along the route, according to the GAC.