CPPCC members call for more support in Xiamen port expansion

Building Xiamen into an international shipping hub is conducive to higher levels of opening-up of the coastal provinces and inland areas in Southeast China, noted Xia Xianpeng, president of the Xiamen Maritime Court.

Xia, also a CPPCC member from Fujian, made the remarks in an interview with People.cn on the sidelines of the annual political consultative session in Beijing.

Xia, along with three other CPPCC members, in a proposal to the nation's top political advisory body, called for more support in promoting Xiamen, a port city in Fujian, as an international shipping center.

Xiamen achieved increasing global recognition on the back of hosting the BRRICS summit last year, Xia said, which is a boon for the city's international hub construction.

He pointed out that there is still a long way to go for Xiamen to meet planned national standards, adding that the city's business climate, customs clearance and investment and trade facilitation all require further optimization.

Xia offered his suggestions for dealing with these problems.

More efforts should be put into building Xiamen into a maritime service base for Southeast Asian countries, a home-port for cruises, and an international shipping service provider, he said.

Meanwhile, he advised related authorities to ease market permits in the sector, allowing domestic and foreign companies to operate shipping services including finance, insurance and chartering in the city.

"The international hub status, once achieved, will make the city a pivotal point connecting China with the countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and a beachhead in advancing cross-Straits economic cooperation and exchanges," Xia commented.

In 2017, Xiamen Port maintained its growth momentum despite a general slack picture in the industry globally. The port's throughput hits 10.38 million TEUs in the year, ranking it 14th in the world.