BEIJING: China’s push to boost the nation’s underdeveloped interior is expected to benefit the growing ports in Jiaxing, a city of industrial parks near Shanghai that facilitates shipping on the Grand Canal as well as Hangzhou Bay. The Grand Canal connects Jiaxing to the Yangtze River – a transportation and economic lifeline for dozens of inland cities – while Hangzhou Bay on the city’s southern edge is a gateway to the sea.
International trade is expected to get a boost following a government decision in September to open a free trade zone in Jiaxing. Also adding value to the city’s ports are projects aimed at attracting more industries and improving regional highways. Jiaxing’s main port facility, Zhapu, last year handled about 45 million tons of various types of cargo, according to the port authority. The city’s other port facilities are Haiyan and the Dushan coal terminal.
At Dushan, seagoing vessels discharge coal for transfer to river vessels that haul it to power plants in the country’s interior. The facility can handle up to 30 million tons a year, according to the Zhejiang Daily newspaper. Container handling is expected to reach 500,000 units a year by 2020 at Jiaxing, the newspaper said. Last year’s throughput was 184,500 boxes, up 15 percent from the previous year.
