Greater Bay Area to usher in 5G-based smart port era

On May 8, representatives from the Guangzhou Port Authority, Guangzhou Port Group, the Guangzhou branch of China Unicom, the New Generation Communication and Network Innovation Institute of Guangdong, and Huawei Technologies Co. signed a strategic cooperation agreement to build a 5G port innovation center in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

According to the agreement, the five parties will focus on the construction of the 5G port innovation center and 5G coverage in special areas, striving to achieve port emergency alerts, auxiliary navigation, and smart cargo handling.

Attendees learn about the latest technologies on smart ports developed by Huawei Technologies Co. [Photo/Xinhua] 

The moves will speed up the development of 5G ports in Guangzhou Port and other ports in the Greater Bay Area, building the Greater Bay Area into a regional benchmark for 5G smart port services in China.

Guangzhou Port will take this opportunity to promote the construction of 5G smart ports and carry out 5G deployment plans, optimization strategies, and related network capabilities in green port and smart port construction. The port will also seek in-depth cooperation based on 5G, blockchain, and smart driving to enhance the core competitiveness of Guangzhou Port in the future, according to authorities from Guangzhou Port.

A company from Venezuela showcases itself at the 31st IAPH World Ports Conference in Guangzhou. [Photo/Xinhua] 

The 31st IAPH World Ports Conference opened in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province on May 8, with over 1,000 representatives from famous global ports and shipping industries in more than 50 countries and regions gathering in Guangzhou to exchange ideas and discuss future development.

During the conference, Guangzhou Port has further enlarged its circle of friends to 50 members by tying bonds with the Port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, the Port of Porto do Acu in Brazil, and three ports in South Korea - the Port of Busan, the Port of Kwangyang, and the Port of Ulsan. 

Visitors pay a visit to the China Communications Construction pavilion at the 31st IAPH World Ports Conference in Guangzhou. [Photo/Xinhua]

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. In the past 70 years, particularly since the reform and opening up 40 years ago, China's port development has experienced extraordinary and historic process. In 1949, China's port cargo throughput was only 10 million tons. By 2018, the country's ports cargo throughput reached 14.35 billion tons, with seven major ports ranking among the world's top 10 ports list in cargo throughput. 

According to Chen Yingming, deputy head of the China Ports and Harbors Association, the port development in China still faces many difficulties and challenges. Chinese ports are looking forward to strengthening global cooperation, learning more from the good experiences and management of foreign advanced port development, promoting development through mutual exchanges, and making progress in joint cooperation.