China's shipping has experienced rapid development, from weak to strong, has become a global shipping power.
At present, the size of China's fleet and ports ranks among the top in the world. As of December 31, 2022, China's coastal inter-provincial transport container ships (more than 700TEU, excluding multi-purpose vessels) totaled 350, an increase of 28 from the end of 2021, and the number of container ships increased by 8.7% year-on-year. The upsizing, specialization and standardization of ships have accelerated. China's shipping fleet has a capacity of 350 million deadweight tons, ranking second in the world. China has more than 1.8 million registered seafarers, and nearly 140,000 seafarers are sent abroad each year, ranking among the highest in the world. China has become the country with the highest degree of maritime connectivity in the world, with a maritime service network connecting major ports in more than 100 countries and regions.
In 2022, the cumulative cargo throughput of China's ports reached 15.68 billion tons, a cumulative increase of 0.9%, of which the foreign trade cargo throughput in 2022 was 4.6 billion tons, a decrease of 1.9%. The national container throughput in 2022 was 295.87 million TEU, an increase of 4.7% year-on-year. From January to February 2023, the cumulative cargo throughput of the country's ports reached 2.42 billion tons, a cumulative increase of 2.6%, of which the foreign trade cargo throughput in 2022 was 770 million tons, an increase of 5.3%; The national container throughput in January-February 2023 was 44.14 million TEU, an increase of 1.3% year-on-year.
On February 3, 2020, seven ministries and commissions including the Ministry of Transport issued the Guiding Opinions on Vigorously Promoting the High-quality Development of the Maritime Industry. The guidelines set out phased targets for 2025, 2035 and 2050. On December 9, 2021, The State Council issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Modern Comprehensive Transport System", proposing to optimize the layout of the international maritime route network, improve the efficiency of China-South Korea land and sea transport, promote the healthy development of the China-Europe land and Sea Express line, and expand the influence of the "Silk Road Maritime" brand. China will strengthen exchanges and cooperation in areas such as far-reaching maritime navigation support, search and rescue and salvage, autonomous driving, and scientific and technological personnel, build world-class ship inspection institutions, and actively participate in global governance of emissions reduction in the international aviation and maritime industries. We will promote practical cooperation with ASEAN countries and countries along important shipping lanes, strengthen international maritime cooperation, and work with countries along the Maritime Silk Road to promote the construction and operation of overseas ports, build modern ocean shipping fleets, and maintain the safety and smooth flow of important international shipping lanes.
