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Chinese Government News

12 Mar 2024

US Unions ask Biden Administration to Probe Chinese Shipbuilding

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Five U.S. labor unions on Tuesday filed a petition with the office of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai requesting a probe into China's alleged unfair policies and practices in the maritime logistics and shipbuilding sectors, the USTR office said.The petition was filed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a statute aimed at combating trade partners' unfair practices.Trade practices are only one component of strains in U.S.-China relations in recent years. Other contentious issues include Taiwan…

10 Dec 2023

Philippines, China Trade Accusations over South China Sea Collision

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The Philippines and China traded accusations on Sunday over a collision of their vessels near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea as tensions over claims in the vital waterway escalate.The Philippine coast guard accused China of firing water cannons and ramming resupply vessels and a coast guard ship, causing "serious engine damage" to one, while China's coast guard said the Philippine vessel intentionally rammed its ship.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce…

08 Dec 2023

Bangladesh Puts to use China-built Crude Oil Offloading Facility

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Bangladesh started in recent days a large crude oil receiving and offloading facility built by China that allows the south Asian oil importer to significantly reduce the cost of shipping in crude oil.The single-point mooring facility at Chattogram port last Sunday offloaded 82,000 tons (about 600,000 barrels) of crude oil from a 100,000-ton tanker, said an official with state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corp (BPC).The project is majority-funded by the Chinese government and build by a unit of Chinese state oil major CNPC, said the BPC official who declined to be named as he's not authorized to sp

23 Oct 2023

Philippines Says Chinese Coastguard 'Intentionally' Collided with Its Boats

(Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines)

The Philippines on Monday accused Chinese coastguard vessels of "intentionally" colliding with its vessels on a resupply mission in a disputed part of the South China Sea, as ties deteriorated between the Southeast Asian U.S. ally and Beijing.Both sides traded accusations after the latest incident on Sunday, which was the most serious yet in the waters around the disputed Second Thomas shoal, though no one was harmed.China said on Sunday that the Philippine boats "bumped dangerously" with the coastguard vessels and "Chinese fishing vessels" fishing there.On Monday…

08 Sep 2023

Philippines Condemns Chinese Harassment of Supply Boats to Disputed Atoll

(Photo: Philippine Coast Guard)

The Philippines condemned China's coast guard and "maritime militia" on Friday for what it described as "illegal, aggressive and destabilising" behaviour towards its boats during a routine rotation and resupply mission in the South China Sea.Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos said that despite the Chinese actions supplies were delivered on Friday to Philippine troops stationed on a warship that had been deliberately grounded on an uninhabited atoll more than two decades ago to support a sovereignty claim in the disputed Spratly Islands.The Philippines task force for the South China Sea…

28 Jun 2023

China's Coal Seaborne Imports Surge 73%

“Despite China’s strategy of pursuing increased domestic coal production, which has meant that year-to-date production stands 5.8% higher than last year, its seaborne imports of coal have nevertheless surged 73% y/y so far,” said Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.The Chinese government target for domestic coal production is 4.6 billion tonnes in 2025, which is 2.5% higher than in 2022. As production year-to-date has already increased by 5.8% compared to 2022, Chinese…

08 Jun 2023

Capesize Spot Rates Hesitant Despite 5% Rise in Demand -BIMCO

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“During the first five months of 2023, demand for Capesize ships increased 5% y/y while supply increased 3% y/y. Nonetheless, spot rate increases remain hesitant, largely due to concerns over China’s fragile economic recovery,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.Demand growth was supported by a 4% increase in average haul while cargo volumes increased only marginally. Average haul increased due to higher exports from Brazil and Guinea and higher volumes of long-haul Russian coal.Supply rose due to a 2% y/y increase in the Capesize fleet and a 1% increase in fleet productivity.

12 Dec 2022

Inside the Chinese Port Deal that Divided the German Government

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The German government has become divided over a deal, agreed last month, which saw Chinese conglomerate Cosco invest in the Port of Hamburg. The deal had been in the works since September 2021 and was championed by the chancellor (and Hamburg’s former mayor), Olaf Scholz.Scholz’s coalition partners have been vocal in criticising the deal. Chief among them is Robert Habeck, Greens member and Scholz’s economics minister, who expressed his fear that Germany was becoming dependent on Chinese business.

07 Oct 2022

US Imports Headed to Lowest Level Since Early 2021

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Imports at the United States’ major container ports are expected to fall to their lowest level in nearly two years by the end of 2022 even though retail sales continue to grow, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.“The holiday season has already started for some shoppers and, thanks to pre-planning, retailers have plenty of merchandise on hand to meet demand,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said.

17 Jan 2022

China Says It Won't 'Bully' Neighbors Over South China Sea

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China will not use its strength to "bully" its smaller neighbors including the Philippines, its foreign minister said on Monday, as he highlighted the importance of settling disputes in the South China Sea peacefully."Stressing only one side's claims and imposing one's own will on the other is not a proper way for neighbors to treat each other and it goes against the oriental philosophy of how people should get along with each other," Wang Yi, the Chinese government's top diplomat…

04 Jan 2022

China Ramps Up LSFO Production 30%, backing Bunker Fuel Hub Ambitions

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China more than halved the volume of export quotas for refined fuel, predominantly gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel, under the first allotment for 2022, while raising the allowances for low-sulphur fuel oil by 30%, industry sources said on Tuesday.The deep cuts to refined fuel, largely expected by the market, was in line with the Chinese government's recent policy to curb excessive domestic refinery production amid a broad plan to reduce carbon emissions, the sources said.Quotas for refined fuel exports totalled 13 million tonnes under the batch…

14 Sep 2021

Dry Bulk Profits Surge to Multi-year Highs

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Heading into the seasonally strongest part of the year, dry bulk owners have already enjoyed a very profitable year with the temporary factors helping the market stay strong expected to continue providing support into 2022, says shipping organization BIMCO.Demand drivers and freight ratesThe dry bulk shipping industry continues to enjoy a bumper year, with average earnings continuing to outshine any profits made in the past couple of years. As is often the case, Capesizes’ are taking the spotlight, with recent earnings peaking above $50,000 per day.

19 Aug 2021

Chinese Iron Ore Imports Fall to 14-month Low in July - BIMCO

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Chinese iron ore imports fell to 88.5 million tons in July, the lowest level since May 2020. The fall in July means that accumulated imports are lower than in the first seven months of 2020. Imports this year have totaled 649 million, a 1.5% decline from January to July 2020. In July, imports were down 21.4% from the same month in 2020 when they reached a record high of 112.7m tonnes.Steel production declines following government restrictionsIn addition to the July drop in iron…

03 May 2021

Australia Reviewing Lease of Darwin Port to Chinese Firm

(File photo: Landbridge Group)

Australia is reviewing the 99-year lease of a commercial and military port in the country's north to a Chinese firm, a government source said on Monday, a move that could further inflame tensions between Beijing and Canberra.Australia overhauled its foreign investment laws late last year, giving the government the retrospective power to impose new conditions or even force a divestment on deals that have already been approved.Defense officials are looking into whether the Landbridge Group…

22 Feb 2021

Container Shipping Looks Strong in 2021 - BIMCO

One of a total of more than 1.6 million Hapag-Lloyd containers (TEU). Image courtesy Hapag-Lloyd

In the full year of 2020, global container shipping volumes fell by 1.2% compared with 2019, much less than feared even before the pandemic was first declared, and much recovered compared with the 6.8% drop recorded in the first six months of the year. Volumes in the second half of the year were up 4.2% from 2019. Much of this growth was concentrated on just a few trade lanes, with congestion and imbalances on these spilling out and causing disruption on other trades.BIMCO expects that 2021 will be even better for container shipping than 2020…

05 Feb 2021

China's Latest Weapon Against Taiwan: The Sand Dredger

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Taiwanese coast guard commander Lin Chie-ming is on the frontline of a new type of warfare that China is waging against Taiwan. China’s weapon? Sand.On a chilly morning in late January, Lin, clad in an orange uniform, stood on the rolling deck of his boat as it patrolled in choppy waters off the Taiwan-run Matsu Islands. A few kilometers away, the Chinese coast was faintly visible from Lin’s boat. He was on the lookout for Chinese sand-dredging ships encroaching on waters controlled by Taiwan.The Chinese goal…

14 Oct 2020

China Has Reportedly Banned Australian Coal Imports

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Australia is investigating media reports that China has stopped taking its coal shipments, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday, adding that such import quotas to support China's market were "not uncommon".Trade industry reports late last week suggested that some Chinese ports had been told not to accept Australian thermal and metallurgical coal, and that Australian shipments were being sold along to other markets at the last minute.China's imports of coal had been expected to slow in the second half…

30 Sep 2020

How the Major Dry Bulk Commodities Drive the Freight Market into Q4

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The world is in the midst of the second coronavirus wave and with that comes the natural question of how the current dynamics will play out for the dry bulk shipping market. Demand and the subsequent cargo flow of the major dry bulk commodities are critical for the freight market, as we enter the final quarter of the year.Iron ore…has without question performed well this year, on occasion even better than gold, driven by the robust demand generated by China, as the world’s leading iron ore consumer.

10 Sep 2020

Chinese Demand Keeping the Dry Bulk Market Going -BIMCO

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An impressive recovery in Chinese dry bulk imports has protected the industry from the effects of falling demand in the rest of the world. High deliveries and low contracting have left the orderbook at multi-year lows, but – with the poor outlook – the current influx of new dry bulk ships orders is not what is needed.Demand drivers and freight ratesThe biggest story in the dry bulk industry in recent months has been the strength of the recovery in major Chinese imports. These are up across the board…

09 Sep 2020

MAN Bags Orders for Engines Meeting China's New Emissions Rules

The MAN 21/31 engine (Image: MAN Energy Solutions)

MAN Energy Solutions said its Chinese license CMP has won a series of new small-bore, four-stroke orders within the Chinese inland-and-coastal segment. The orders are for MAN 21/31, 27/38 and 23/30H types and stem in great part from the Chinese government establishing new, impending, emission protocols for the segment with its GB15097 regulation – commonly known as C1 and C2.Finn Fjeldhøj, Head of Small-Bore, Four-Stroke Engineering, MAN Energy Solutions, said, “With the introduction of C1 and C2…

23 Jul 2020

Chinese 'Dark Fleets' Fishing off North Korea Despite Sanctions Ban

(Photo: Global Fishing Watch)

“Dark fleets” believed to be from China have been fishing in North Korean waters, potentially netting Pyongyang millions of dollars in illicit fees and forcing smaller North Korean vessels further afield, a series of reports said this week.The South Korean coast guard as well as independent experts monitoring the implementation of United Nations sanctions have reported for years that ships of Chinese origin have been observed fishing in North Korean waters, in some cases having paid to obtain rights from North Korean authorities.In several new reports…

11 Jun 2020

Bulk Carriers Orders Down 30%

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The number of Bulker orders were down 30% for 2020 YTD compared to the same period last year. From the 1st of January 2020 when the Chinese market and shipyards closed due to the pandemic, until today, we have only seen USD 1,037 mil spend in the Bulker NB market, down 35% for the same period in 2019. The Chinese government have now started up the economy again and most of the orders placed are by companies like China Development bank and Bank of Communications all being built…

12 May 2020

Petronas Drillship Exits South China Sea After Standoff

An oil exploration vessel contracted by Malaysian state energy company Petronas that was involved in a standoff with a Chinese survey vessel in the South China Sea left the disputed waters on Tuesday, three security sources and the vessel operator said.Petronas has been conducting exploration activities near an area claimed by Malaysia and Vietnam as well as by China since late last year. In mid-April, the Haiyang Dizhi 8 - the Chinese government survey vessel - started operating in the area, escorted by coast guard and China Maritime Militia vessels.Three American warships and an Australian frigate conducted a joint exercise near the site of Petronas' operations amid the standoff last month.The West Capella…