Pudong Airport News

Cabotage regulations for cargo moving to and from Shanghai have been formally liberalised. As a by-product of the establishment of the new China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone concept, foreign-registered vessels are now officially able to carry containers between Shanghai and other Chinese ports – albeit that the vessels still have to have Chinese owners. Previously the formal position was that this could only be done by Chinese owned, Chinese flagged vessels thereby preventing the use of, amongst others, COSCO’s and CSCL’s foreign flagged ships – in theory.

Covering 28.7 square kilometres, the new zone (a pilot project) will be built on the basis of existing bonded zones, the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Logistics Park, Yangshan Free Trade Port Area and Pudong Airport Comprehensive Free Trade Zone. Citing a Ministry of Commerce statement, Xinhua, report that the zone is a crucial move in adapting to global economic and trade development and imposing a more proactive opening-up strategy, adding that it will help explore a new path for China's opening up…