(by Professor Zheng Changzhong on the Way to Zhoushan Port from Ningbo International Conference Center at Noon on May 23, 2025)
Good morning, journalists!
We are about to visit Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. Before detailing the port’s specifics, let me provide a “preview” – an overview of China’s port development landscape to contextualize our on-site tour.
In 2024, China’s ports handled 17.6 billion tons of cargo and 330 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers, both ranking first globally. These figures signify that China’s port development has reached the forefront of the world. Today, Chinese ports no longer rely solely on traditional technology and infrastructure; they have become vital hubs supporting China’s and even the global economy through digital technology empowerment, infrastructure upgrades, and comprehensive management innovations.
With the vigorous development of digital technology, China has built the world’s largest number of fully automated unmanned terminals. Take Ningbo-Zhoushan Port as an example: its digital applications far exceed the preliminary stage of “data networking.” The deep integration of network technology, environmental perception technology, and 3D modeling has brought port management and operations into a fully digitalized state. From crane handling of containers to terminal vehicle scheduling, the entire process is unmanned and precisely controlled by digital systems, significantly enhancing work efficiency and safety. It is important to note, however, that while Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has made tremendous progress in automation, not all operational processes and areas within its complex system are fully unmanned. Some links still require manual participation or collaboration between humans and automated equipment to ensure operational flexibility, emergency response capabilities, and overall efficiency.
Port development is inseparable from integration with the national transportation system. China has established multiple intermodal transportation models, including water-water (inland shipping + maritime shipping), water-rail (waterway + railway), and water-road (water transport + highway). Through digital dispatching systems, these modes achieve seamless connectivity, greatly improving the turnover efficiency of bulk cargo and constructing a modern logistics network that ensures “smooth flow of goods.”
China has always prioritized environmental protection in port construction and shipping development. In addition to promoting automated smart terminals, it emphasizes ecological conservation. Through measures such as clean energy adoption and pollution prevention technology upgrades, China is creating “low-carbon, circular, and sustainable” green ports to achieve coordinated economic development and environmental protection.
China’s port construction closely serves the new development pattern of “a domestic big cycle as the main body, with domestic and international dual cycles reinforcing each other.” On one hand, large coastal hub ports support international logistics channels; on the other hand, inland river ports facilitate regional economic integration. Meanwhile, China’s port development focuses not only on hardware (such as terminals and waterways) but also on “software” – building a port ecosystem with humanistic care at its core.
In this “software development,” care for people is reflected not only in logistics efficiency but also in systematic services for workers and their families. For example, Huzhou in Zhejiang Province has a thriving inland shipping industry with more than 2,000 vessels, most of which are operated by husband-and-wife teams. To serve these mariners, the local government has built comprehensive service stations at river ports modeled after highway rest stops, providing catering, daily necessities retail, cultural and sports facilities, and vocational training. The Women’s Federation has also established special service organizations here, delivering precise support for women’s needs through mobile service boats that reach every vessel, extending care directly to the bow and stern.
Just as China’s port construction emphasizes the coordinated development of “hardware” and “software,” the advancement of women’s causes has always been regarded as an indispensable part of national progress. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, women’s development has been a key component of national strategy. Mao Zedong’s concept that “women hold up half the sky” profoundly advanced the cause of women’s liberation. Today, the country employs a “three-pronged approach” of legislation, policy support, and Women’s Federation institutions to build a top-down women’s rights protection system covering grassroots levels – requiring every economic organization, social organization, community, and village to establish Women’s Federation branches, extending services to the farthest corners of society and supporting women’s development across political, economic, cultural, and social dimensions.
From the smart and green practices of ports to the grassroots service networks of Women’s Federations, China’s development consistently upholds the logic of “unifying material and spiritual civilization, and coordinating economic development with social progress.” Upon arriving at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, you will not only witness the grandeur of a “super port” but also gain insight into the deeper code of China’s modernization – where “hard power” and “soft power” advance in tandem.
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.