No port? No drawback: How landlocked Henan exports items to the world | UNW

Officials say the system relies on closer coordination between agencies and across provincial boundaries.  

This gives inland manufacturers more direct access to export markets, while cutting logistics costs by about 10 per cent. 

SHANGHAI SET THE PACE 

Efforts like the Henan pilot build on a much longer push to strengthen logistics and shipping infrastructure along China’s coast. 

In Shanghai, for example, the West Bund was once a busy cargo hub on the Huangpu River. 

Now a riverside public space, the giant orange cranes that remain are an iconic reminder of that industrial past. 

At the turn of the millennium, China’s 10th Five-Year Plan called for stronger container systems at major ports and set out an ambition to turn Shanghai into an international shipping centre. 

That led to the development of the Yangshan deep-water port, located more than 30km offshore, where large vessels can berth and manoeuvre without the limitations of inner-city waterways. 

Today, Shanghai has held its position as the world’s busiest container port for 16 consecutive years. 

Shanghai’s ports have helped China sustain its export boom at scale by moving raw materials in and finished goods out more efficiently. 

Projects like the Henan pilot show how that same logistics push is now extending inland – linking factories directly to global markets with fewer delays and lower costs. 

As external demand remains uncertain amid mounting geopolitical challenges, improving how goods move may prove just as critical as what China produces.