A starting point for ancient ocean-going trade and a gateway to Southeast Asia, modern Zhanjiang has received the green light as a pivotal city in the country’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road strategy.

Ports on Baoman and Donghai islands have been allowed to open up, bringing the total number of open ports in the city to six.

A bonded logistics center to be built by Zhanjiang Port Group has been approved, becoming the 38th such center in the country.

A number of projects in Zhanjiang are included in provincial plans to meet the national 21st Century Maritime Silk Road strategy.

They include Guangdong (Fenyong) ASEAN Industrial Park, South Marine Valley High-Tech Park, an aquatic and agricultural technology park, seaside tourism park, maritime high-tech base and a sugar-making center.

City authorities are also studying further measures for reform.

The opening of Baoman and Donghai ports means 44,400 meters of coastline and 29 berths will open up to foreign trade.

Zhanjiang port will be better positioned to attract multinational shipping companies and to enhance economic cooperation with Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas, said Wang Xiaosui, director of the city’s bureau of commerce.

Zhanjiang port serves major ocean-going shipping in southwestern and southern China and offers one of the shortest routes between the Chinese mainland and Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania, according to Zhanjiang Port (Group) Co.

Cargo throughput at the port hit 181 million tons last year and is expected to exceed 200 million tons this year.

The latest opening-up move is set to boost the capacity of Zhanjiang port, speed up development and help promote seaside industries and logistics, said Guo Rongbo, deputy director of the city’s bureau of commerce.

Bonded center

The newly approved bonded logistics center will enable companies to expand the exporting, international trans-shipment and reexporting businesses, according to Zhanjiang Customs.

Although it is an important distribution hub for bulk goods such as crude oil, iron ore, coal, fertilizers and sulfur in South China, Zhanjiang port has not achieved substantial growth due to limited storage space.

The bonded logistics center will provide Guangdong Jinling Sugar Industry Group Co, one of the leading sugar makers in the country, with ample storage space. Zhanjiang is one of the strategic sugar reserve centers in the country but bonded warehouses in the city had been scattered and small.

Without such a center, some Zhanjiang companies had to use facilities in other cities.

The center will help companies cut operating costs, be more flexible in exports and better withstand risks in global market.

It will also push forward the transformation of the processing trade in Zhanjiang, said Guo.

The center is located in the seaside industrial park that has a planned area of 390,000 sq m and total investment of 535 million yuan ($87.12 million). With construction beginning this month, it will include 40,000 sq m of warehouses, a 130,000 sq m storage yard and a dedicated rail line.

A total of 212 logistics and foreign trade companies, including China Merchants Holdings (International) Co, Sinotrans Guangdong Co, Shenzhen Yantian Port Group and Baosteel Group, have expressed their intention to move into the area.