Marine Link
Monday, March 18, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Xinhua News Agency News

22 Sep 2023

Singapore Reigns Supreme in International Shipping Center Development Index

Credit: anekoho/AdobeStock

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.

29 Dec 2022

Russia and China Hold Naval Drills, Practice Submarine Capture

(Photo: Russian Defense Ministry)

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.

13 Sep 2022

Eastern China Ports at Standstill as Typhoon Muifa Closes In

(Image: U.S. Navy Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command)

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…

07 Aug 2020

Pentagon Chief Concerned About Beijing's Activity in South China Sea

Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper (DoD photo by Marvin Lynchard)

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…

15 Jul 2020

China's Polar Icebreaker Embarks on First Arctic Mission

(File photo: Polar Research Institute of China)

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…

28 Aug 2019

Duterte Readies to Raise Ruling with China

A Chinese warship underway (file image: AdobeStock /  © Vanderwolfe)

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…

22 Jul 2019

China Maintains Shipbuilding Leadership

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…

17 Jul 2019

Vietnam, China in South China Sea Standoff

© lotusjeremy / Adobe Stock

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…

15 Jul 2019

Singapore Ranked World's Top Shipping Center

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.

24 Sep 2018

China Navy Ship Makes Maiden Visit to Venezuela

File photo: China's Peace Ark in 2014 (U.S. Navy photo by Shannon Renfroe)

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…

08 Aug 2018

Chinese Exports Accelerate Even as Trade War Escalates

© krunja / Adobe Stock

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.

06 Jul 2018

U.S.-China Trade Battle Heats Up

https://magazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MaritimeProfessional/201805/

Dueling tariffs raise fears of long A U.S.-China trade fight resulting in duties on $34 billion worth of each other's imports was seen dragging on for a potentially prolonged period, as Washington and Beijing flexed their muscles with no sign of negotiations to ease tensions.Friday marked the start of the U.S. duties that were promptly met with retribution by China, as Beijing accused the United States of triggering the "largest-scale trade war."The escalating fight between the…

19 Jun 2018

CNOOC Developing New Deep Sea Gas Block in South China Sea

China's offshore oil and gas producer CNOOC has started developing a new gas field in the South China Sea, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.The Lingshui 17-2 gas field is the first deep sea gas block fully operated by a Chinese company, Xinhua said citing CNOOC officials.The deep sea project, which was discovered in 2014, is 150 km (94 miles) south of China's southern Hainan island, with an average operational depth of 1,500 metres, according to a Reuters report from that year.CNOOC is ready to start building a subsea level platform used for drilling, Xinhua said.(Reporting by Meng Meng and Aizhu Chen; Editing by Tom Hogue)

18 Jun 2018

Asian Shares, Oil Fall as US-China Trade Spat Escalates

© victor217 / Adobe Stock

Asian shares fell to a 2-1/2 week low on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump cranked up trade tensions by going ahead with tariffs on Chinese imports, prompting Beijing to immediately respond in kind.Fears of a global trade war added to pressure on oil prices, which extended Friday's big fall, while the dollar retreated from near 3-week highs against the safe haven yen.Spreadbetters suggested a subdued start for European shares, with FTSE futures off about 0.1 percent. U.S.

05 Jun 2018

China Busts Gangs Smuggling Scrap Steel

©Jean-Bernard Nadeau / Adobe Stock

Customs in China's southeastern Fujian province broke up five gangs smuggling scrap steel in a late-night operation on Monday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.A total of 28 criminal suspects were held in Xiamen, Quanzhou and other cities in the coordinated operation, in which 3,237 tonnes of scrap steel was seized.The gangs had been buying the scrap in China, the world's biggest steel producer, since 2017 and sending it to Southeast Asian countries, Xinhua said.Amount of scrap smuggled was put at around 50,000 tonnes, worth some 78 million yuan ($12.2 million), as gangs sought to cash

12 Jan 2018

Burning Tanker Drifts into Japan's Economic Zone

(Photo: NIOC)

A stricken Iranian oil tanker continued exploding on Friday, hampering rescue efforts, Chinese state media reported, as Japan's Coast Guard said the ship drifted away from the Chinese coast and into Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The ship, which has been ablaze for almost a week since it collided with another vessel on Saturday night in the East China Sea, was about 286 km (178 miles) northwest of Sokkozaki on the island of Amami Oshima as of 0700 GMT on Friday, the Japan Coast Guard said in a statement.

03 Jan 2018

Ten Crew Missing as Cargo Ship Sinks off Shanghai

© Keith Levit / Adobe Stock

Ten crew members were missing after a cargo vessel collided with another vessel in Wusongkou anchorage at Shanghai, China’s state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the Shanghai Maritime Search and Rescue Centre. Three people had been rescued, and the search for missing crew members was continuing, Xinhua said. (Reporting by Ruby Lian and Ryan Woo; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

13 Nov 2017

China, Philippines to Draft Protocol to Avoid Maritime 'Miscalculations'

China and the Philippines will negotiate a military protocol to avoid maritime “miscalculations”, Manila’s defence minister said on Wednesday, following a brief standoff near a Philippine-occupied island in a disputed part of the South China Sea. Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippines tried to put up makeshift structures on a sand bar about 4 km (2.5 miles) off Thitu island in the Spratly archipelago in August, but China objected and sent ships to the area. President Rodrigo Duterte sought to defuse tensions by ordering troops to pull out. Construction was stopped. “We intend to sit down with China to draft and agree on a protocol to resolve immediately any incident,” he said, adding he hoped talks could start this year.

28 Jun 2017

China Launches New Class of Naval Destroyer

China's military on Wednesday launched a new type of domestically-built destroyer, state media said, the latest addition to the country's rapidly expanding navy. The 10,000-tonne warship was launched at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, the official Xinhua news agency said, making it the first of the People's Liberation Army Navy's "new generation" destroyers. "It is equipped with new air defence, anti-missile, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons," Xinhua said, without giving further details. The state-run Global Times newspaper said the ship was believed to be the first Type 055 destroyer, which is considered to be a successor class to the smaller Type 052D guided missile destroyers. China is still producing the latter and commissioned one, the Xining, in January.

19 May 2017

Full Tanks & Tankers: A Stubborn Oil Glut Despite OPEC Cuts

© Andrei Pashkov / Adobe Stock

After the first OPEC oil production cut in eight years took effect in January, oil traders from Houston to Singapore started emptying millions of barrels of crude from storage tanks. Investors hailed the drawdowns as the beginning of the end of a two-year supply glut - raising hopes for steadily rising per-barrel prices. It hasn't worked out that way. Now, many of those same storage tanks are filling back up or draining more slowly than investors and oil firms had expected, according…

26 Apr 2017

China Launches First Home-built Aircraft Carrier

(Photo: Feng Kaixuan / Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China)

China launched its first domestically built aircraft carrier on Wednesday amid rising tension over North Korea and worries about Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea. State media has quoted military experts as saying the carrier, China's second and built in the northeastern port of Dalian, is not expected to enter service until 2020, once it has been kitted out and armed. Foreign military analysts and Chinese media have for months published satellite images, photographs and news stories about the second carrier's development. China confirmed its existence in late 2015.

04 Mar 2017

Chine Cruise Ship's New Destination: Disputed South China Sea

China has commissioned a new cruise ship to take tourists to islands claimed by Vietnam in the disputed South China Sea, reinforcing its claim over the area, reports Reuters. The ship called Changle Gongzhu, or Changle Princess, sailed from Sanya with 308 passengers on board. Its first voyage will last four days and three nights, said an official with Hainan Strait Shipping, owner of the vessel. The Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea where Beijing is locked in maritime disputes with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, is also claimed by Vietnam. China lays claim to 90% of the resource rich South China Sea, through which a third of the world's maritime traffic passes. Beijing had earlier said that it plans to build villas, shops and hotels on the islands.

24 Feb 2017

China Sells Ships Online

Chinese Maritime Court has sold five vessels of bankrupt Wenzhou Shipping, subsidiary of Zhejiang Shipping Group,  through online auctions on Taobao.com  for a  a total price of $22.81m. The auctioned ships include 2011-built 57,000-dwt supramax bulker Zhe Hai 167, 2009-built 33,400-dwt handysize bulker Zhe Hai 162, 2009-built 23,500-dwt handysize bulker Zhe Hai 156 , a tugboat  and an oil barge. Singapore-based company Varada One's vessel was auctioned off on online shopping platform Taobao  for $11.7,  Xinhua news agency reported. The VLCC Varada Blessing is 1993-built, 300,000 dwt tanker. According to the Xinhua report, courts in China are now increasingly auctioning seized property online.

Subscribe for
Maritime Reporter E-News

Maritime Reporter E-News is the maritime industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email five times per week