Qinzhou Port. [Photo by Zhai Liqiang/China News Service]

Qinzhou in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region will gradually become the China-ASEAN trade cooperation center in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, officials announced on Jan 18.

The city will optimize its advantages in port services and logistics to open more direct shipping routes to North America and Europe, realizing fully direct coverage of all major ports around the world. 

In recent years, Qinzhou Port has been devoting continuous efforts to upgrading its handling capacity, becoming one of China's biggest ports in terms of handling capacity. 

It is now able to handle the world's biggest container ship with projects like China's first automatic wharf sea-rail intermodal containers and the 300,000-metric-ton crude oil berth, which started operations last year.

A total of 6,000 sea-rail intermodal train trips were made in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 30 percent, ranking first in the country in terms of growth. Seven new shipping routes for domestic and foreign trade were also opened last year. 

The cost for transporting one single container at Qinzhou Port is now basically equal to that of Shenzhen Port after years of efforts, while the clearance time at Qinzhou Port also ranks among the lowest in China.

The port will be able to handle bulk commodities, such as precious metals and new energy materials, to turn itself into a main logistics and trade center, creating a better environment for transporting cargo in West China.