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Gateway Glance: China By Joe Zelasney China is pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into infrastructure development. Plentiful cash reserves and cheap labor are enabling China to undertake what is likely the greatest infrastructure development spree in history. China’s economy is managed according to five-year development plans. During the 11th five-year plan, from 2005-2010, China will spend an estimated US$800 billion on infrastructure. The massive expenditure has allowed China to construct seaports, highways, bridges and railroads at a mind-numbing pace. China’s largest and most advanced port and infrastructure networks are concentrated in three economic development regions: in Northeast China, near the capital Beijing, around the Bohai Sea; on the central coast, around Shanghai, in the Yangtze River Delta; and in Southern China, near Hong Kong, in the Pearl River Delta. China is also making substantial investments along the Yangtze River Corridor and steadily expanding rail and road networks into the Western provinces. Despite rapid expansion and improvement of transport infrastructure, China has a long way to go, especially outside of the three major economic development regions. Highways are often choked with traffic, especially in and around major cities. Rail congestion is chronic due to a lack of capacity and on-dock rail at port terminals is virtually non-existent. BOHAI SEA: The Bohai Sea is a semi-enclose body of water located in Northeastern China. At present, over 100 seaports have been completed or proposed in the region. Cities surrounding the Bohai Sea have an estimated population of 300 million. Much of China’s heavy industry as well as large oil and coal reserves are located in Northeastern China. Investments that are underway will bring Bohai Sea ports’ total handling capacity to 24 million TEUs by the end of 2010. YANGTZE RIVER DELTA: The Yangtze River Delta development zone encompasses the municipality of Shanghai, Southern Jiangsu province and Northern Zhejiang province; the area is home to approximately 90 million people. Ports in the delta provide access to China’s vast hinterland, along the Yangtze River Corridor. At the regions heart is Shanghai, the most important economic center in Mainland China; other major cities include Hangzhou, Suzhou, Ningbo and Nanjing. The region leads China in the production of value-added and technologically advanced products. By 2010, the YRD is expected to have an annual handling capacity of 30 million TEUs. PEARL RIVER DELTA: The Pearl River Delta is located in southern Guangdong Province; the economic development region encompasses nine prefectures including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Hong Kong and Macau. It is one of China’s leading economic regions and the largest manufacturing center for low-margin, labor-intensive products. The area is home to approximately 60 million people. Ports in the region will have a handling capacity of 31 million TEUs by 2010. YANGTZE RIVER CORRIDOR: The Yangtze is the world’s third longest river (3,915 miles). The Yangtze River corridor, between Shanghai and Chongqing, is home to more than 470 million people. Each year more than 800 million tons of cargo moves along the river, making it the largest cargo-bearing river in the world. The Yangtze accounts for 80 percent of China’s total inland shipping capacity. The Chinese government is working to improve navigation conditions on the river. In the next decade the government will invest more than US$2 billion to dredge and improve the navigation course of the Yangtze. Presently, the rivers mouth has been dredged to a depth of 35 feet between the Pacific Ocean and Nanjing, allowing for passage of vessels up to 50,000 DWT. Ships up to 10,000 DWT can navigate more than 600 miles up the Yangtze to the city of Wuhan and the recently completed Three Gorges Dam has improved transportation on the upper Yantgze, allowing larger ships to reach as far as Chongqing, 1,600 miles inland.	In This Issue Up Front News, Trends & Analysis New Items Trade Tools: How Uncle Sam helps exporters Capital Watch: Larger issues loom behind federal transport agendas Supply Chain Chris Steele: Development opportunities north and south of the border Compliance Corner: Denied Party Screening – Make sure you comply... comprehensively and timely Tech Trends Product Review: Invoicing and Auditing solutions Commentary David Bennett: Early signs of trouble Gateway Glance Panama China The Port Community Game Changer: Expansion of the Panama Canal will reshape global trade patterns All-weather ports are “all-in” Breakbulk Quarterly: East Coast - Thinking outside the box Breakbulk Quarterly: Brighter outlook for West Coast breakbulk in 2010 The Shipping Environment Casualties Navy tanker breaks loose, container crane topples, longshoreman dies at Virginia port ... and much more Final Say Getting TIGER by the tail
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Gateway Glance: China