China celebrated the milestone of handling 100 million TEUs yesterday. Without a doubt, China is one of the most important players in the global shipping industry. The annual throughput of cargo and containers has been growing up at a rate of 35 percent in the past 5 years. China has been the world’s top handler of ocean containers since 2002. Last year, the country handled 5.6 billion tons of cargo and 93 million TEUs. Additionally, the world’s busiest port is located in Shanghai with an annual throughput of 530 million tons in 2006. More than 90 percent of foreign trade cargo delivery is through water transportation. However, the current capacity cannot keep up with the fast growing demand in China. Song Dexing, director of the ministry’s water transport department, described that “containers are further connecting China’s middle and western regions to the global market, under a rational ports distribution plan combining coastal areas and inner rivers. The container industry must move away from traditional transportation and toward comprehensive logistics and service industries.” To help transition the country from a “large” to a “strong” ocean-shipping nation, the China government will invest more in innovation and policy implementation as well as continue to encourage more cooperation among ports and shipping companies. | 
