Dalian: In the second of a series of articles to showcase the new issue of SinoShip magazine, one of the best known maritime economists in China talks with SinoShip.
Beijing has designated a few major port cities including Shanghai, Ningbo, Dalian and Xiamen for the development of international shipping centres. Plenty of other coastal cities have also made their own plans to develop international shipping centres.
As a shipping economist, Lv Jing, the dean of the Transportation Management College at Dalian Maritime University, has been dedicated to the research of shipping since the 1980s. He is also a member of the International Association of Maritime Economists and a director of the China Communications and Transportation Association.
Lv said that blindly developing international shipping centres might not help the industry. On the contrary, he said, it could be a waste of resources.
“Currently lots of cities in China say they are developing so called international shipping centres,” he said. “I think it is misleading, a real international shipping centre should have advanced port infrastructures and use the international shipping industry as a bond that promotes the economic development of the region and the hinterland, and its operation should also be based on market mechanisms,” Lv said.
For the full article and the entire summer issue of SinoShip magazine free online, click here. [20/05/14]
