Xinhua News

BYD's first chartered vehicle carrier has set sail from China's southern city of Shenzhen, carrying more than 5,000 electric vehicles to Europe, state media Xinhua reported on Tuesday.Chinese automakers including BYD, Chery Automobile and SAIC Motor, have been placing orders for vessels to counter rising shipping costs as they boost exports.The new roll-on, roll-off vehicle carrier named "BYD Explorer No.1" departed on Monday for Flushing Port in the Netherlands and the German port of Bremerhaven…

For the 10th year in a row, Singapore ranks first in the Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Center Development Index (ISCDI) Report.Published jointly by the Chinese state news agency, Xinhua and global maritime data provider Baltic Exchange, the report lists Singapore as the global leading maritime center, followed by London and Shanghai.The island nation scored 95.32 out of a possible 100 points, while London scored 83.35 points and Shanghai took third place with 81.58 points.Singapore has held the top position since the index began a decade ago.

Russia and China have completed naval drills in the East China Sea, after a week of joint exercises which included practicing how to capture an enemy submarine with depth charges and firing artillery at a warship, Russia's defense ministry said.The Dec.

Authorities in China's eastern province of Zhejiang ordered ships to return to port, told schools to close and evacuated tourists from nearby islands, as one of this year's strongest typhoons is set to make landfall on Wednesday.Typhoon Muifa intensified on Tuesday as it barreled towards the twin port cities of Ningbo and Zhoushan, which share the ranking of second-busiest port in China, in terms of cargo handled.State media said China's 12th cyclone of the year was expected to make landfall between the cities of Wenling and Zhoushan…

Singapore has held onto its status as the world's top maritime hub for the ninth consecutive year, according to a recent index report.The Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index Report, jointly published annually by Chinese state news agency, Xinhua, and global maritime data provider, the Baltic Exchange, has ranked Singapore as the global leading maritime center every year since the report's inception.The city state scored 94.88 out of a possible 100 points, while second on the list was maritime professional services stronghold, London, with 83.04 points.

China's COSCO Shipping Group and the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) have signed an agreement to jointly work on developing shipping derivatives such as container capacity futures, according to an article posted by the bourse on Thursday.China's largest shipping line has been talking to the DCE for years about shipping futures.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper expressed concerns about Beijing’s “destabilizing” activity near Taiwan and the South China Sea in a call with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, the Pentagon said on Thursday, the first time the two are believed to have spoken since March.The call came as U.S.-China ties have rapidly deteriorated this year over a range of issues, including Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus, telecommunications equipment maker Huawei, China’s territorial…

China's first domestically built polar icebreaker Xue Long 2 has set sail on its first mission to the Arctic, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reports.Xuez Long 2 (Snow Dragon 2) departed Shanghai Wednesday with a team of Chinese scientists on board to conduct investigations in areas including the Chukchi Rise, Canada Basin and the central Arctic Ocean, Xinhua reports. The voyage is expected to cover some 12,000 nautical miles and conclude in late September.The expedition is said to be organized by China's Ministry of Natural Resources to study biodiversity and ecosystems…

Singapore has maintained its position as the world's top shipping hub for the seventh year straight, according to a report published by the Baltic Exchange and Chinese state news agency Xinhua.The Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Center Development (ISCD) Index, now in its seventh edition, assesses factors including port throughput and infrastructure; depth and breadth of professional maritime support services; as well as the general business environment in its attempt to…

China will make a billion-dollar investment in the Brazilian port of Sao Luis via China Communications Construction Company, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the announcement will be made at the summit of leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the so-called BRICS group of emerging nations, who are meeting in the Brazilian capital for a two-day summit.The deal will be part of the largest foreign direct investment into Brazil this year, one of the sources said, without revealing any figures.Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said on Wednesday that Brazil is seeking closer integration with China…

When Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte visits China this week, he'll need to salvage something from a "pivot" to Beijing that has left him empty-handed, and exposed his neighbours to a new level of brinkmanship in the South China Sea.Despite his huge domestic popularity and great affection for China, Duterte is under growing pressure to push back at its growing maritime assertiveness. After avoiding the issue for three years, he has vowed to raise with President Xi Jinping a 2016…

A new freight train service has been launched  linking Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, and Budapest, capital of Hungary, making it the newest China-Europe freight train route.According to Xinhua, this is the fifth freight train service Jinan has opened to Europe and Central Asia.The city's port and logistics office said that goods can now reach 12 countries in Europe and Central Asia through the train routes.The report said that cargo trains have made 81 journeys from Jinan to Europe and Central Asia in the first half of this year, a nearly sixfold increase from a year ago, according to the office. Together they have carried a total of 65,000 tonnes of goods worth 155 million U.S.

China’s accomplished shipbuilding output in the first half of this year stood at 19.66 million deadweight tonnes, up 4.2 percent year on year.Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology saying that China received 51.8 percent of global new orders in H1 and held 42.9 percent of the existing orders, cementing the country’s leading role in the sector.In 2018, China took 43.9 percent of global new orders and held 42.8 percent of the existing ones.Given a lackluster global economy, however, the shipbuilding industry still faces grim circumstances, Xinhua said.Intelligent ships and intelligent manufacturing are the drivers for the high-quality development of China's shipbuilding industry…

Marking the opening of a new China-Europe freight train route a freight train left Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, heading for Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan.According to a report in Xinhua, the train consists of 42 containers loaded with laptops, LED panels, green tea and other products manufactured in Hunan province.With this service, Zhuzhou has become the third city in Hunan Province to open international freight train route to Europe after Changsha and Huaihua.The train will leave China through the Horgos Pass in Xinjiang and pass Kazakhstan before reaching its destination.The whole trip will take seven days…

Vietnamese and Chinese ships have been embroiled in a weeks-long standoff near an offshore oil block in disputed waters of the South China Sea, which fall within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, two Washington-based think-tanks said on Wednesday.China's U-shaped "nine-dash line" marks a vast expanse of the South China Sea that it claims, including large swathes of Vietnam's continental shelf where it has awarded oil concessions.The Haiyang Dizhi 8, a ship operated by the China Geological Survey…

For the sixth year running, Singapore has clinched the top spot among the world's maritime centers in the Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index.The island city-state in Southeast Asia beat 42 other cities such as Hong Kong, which ranked second, as well as London, which ranked third.Based on the evaluation scores, Singapore shows strength in ship management and shipbroking services, while Hong Kong is benefiting from China’s Belt and Road Initiative and economic opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.London’s first-class services in shipbroking, legal and shipping finance were highlighted.

Chinese shipbuilding conglomerate China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) has signed  contracts for 36 newbuildngs worth a total contracts value of over RMB10bn (USD1.48bln).According to the state media Xinhua, the vessels will be built at a number of different yards under the CSSC umbrella and CSSC (Hong Kong) Shipping Company, will provide financing service to all 36 newbuildings.The contracts include manufacturing of 36 new ships including 174,000-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships, 13,000-tonne multi-purpose heavy lift ships, 300,000-tonne VLCC feeder container ships, 95,000-tonne ice-enhanced bulk carriers as well…

Chinese Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (Cansi) said that China maintained its top position in the global shipbuilding industry in 2018.Chinese companies built 43.2 percent of the new ships in the world last year, up from 41.9 percent a year ago, cementing the country's leading role in the sector, Xinhua reported quoting Cansi.It said that China received 43.9 percent of global new orders last year and held 42.8 percent of the current orders.From the 1950s to the beginning of the 21st century, the three indices were topped by Japan or the Republic of Korea (ROK), while In 2010, China exceeded the ROK and ranked the first in the world.Given a lackluster global economy…

China's imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in November surged to a new record as the country briskly promotes the green fuel to clean its energy mix, said a report in Xinhua.In November, LNG imports totaled 5.99 million tons hitting a new record, rising 48.5 percent year-on-year, according to figures from the General Administration of Customs released over the weekend. The previous record was 5.18 million tons set in January this year, according to media reports.The report said that the country's appetite for natural gas has swelled rapidly in recent years, in part driven by environmental policies to replace dirtier coal-fired electricity generation.

China successfully launched a new marine satellite into orbit yesterday (Friday) to help improve understanding of maritime waters and study the impact of climate change, Xinhua reported.A Long March-2C rocket carrying the HY-1C satellite took off at 11:15 a.m. from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province.The satellite will assist in monitoring ocean colour and water temperatures, providing basic data for research on the global oceanic environment, reports Xinhua, citing the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND), which oversees China's space activities.Its data will also be used in the survey of the resources and environment of China's offshore waters…

China's exports surged more than expected in July despite U.S. duties and its closely watched surplus with the United States remained near record highs, as the world's two major economic powers ramp up a bitter dispute that some fear could derail global growth.In the latest move by President Donald Trump to put pressure on Beijing to negotiate trade concessions, Washington is set to begin collecting 25 percent tariffs on another $16 billion in Chinese goods on Aug. 23.In a statement on its official website late on Wednesday, China's commerce ministry criticised the U.S.

A Chinese naval ship has traveled to Venezuela for the first time, following a visit by President Nicolas Maduro to Beijing this month, where he had been looking to gain China's support for the Latin American nation's struggling economy.The naval medical ship, known as the "Peace Ark", arrived on Saturday at the Venezuelan port of La Guaira for an eight-day period of "friendly visits" to the country, the official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday.Maduro, whose leftist government is under fire in Venezuela as the economy struggles with a fifth year of recession and hyperinflation…

China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) began the main phase of the construction of a new terminal basin in Sokhna Port south of the Suez Canal northeast of Egypt, said he state media Xinhua.According to the report, the project was assigned to CHEC by the Sokhna branch of the Emirati corporation DP World, the main investor and container operator in the port located at the Gulf of Suez.CHEC sources said it will deliver the "Basin 2" project in fewer than 12 months ahead of the deadline.The report quoted Chen Shuang, deputy director of CHEC marketing department as saying that the launching ceremony event held on Tuesday (August 29) wass to show their determination to finish the project quickly and with high quality.Sokhna Port is located within the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone)…