On August 7, Peng Chong, Chief Planner of Hainan Provincial Department of Transportation, stated in Haikou that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Hainan will prioritize enhancing port throughput capacity, specialization, and shipping services to systematically advance the construction of an international shipping hub for the New Western Land-Sea Corridor.
The New Western Land-Sea Corridor is a major national strategic deployment, and Hainan, as a key node, carries the strategic mission of becoming an international shipping hub. At a press conference held by the Hainan Provincial Information Office on the same day, relevant departments provided updates on the progress of the international shipping hub construction and the "15th Five-Year Plan" blueprint.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Hainan advanced the construction of the international shipping hub for the New Western Land-Sea Corridor. Yangpu Port evolved from a regional port to an international hub port. The expansion of the Yangpu Regional International Container Hub Port (Phase I) and the waterway expansion and renovation project were completed and operational. The port's container throughput exceeded 3 million TEUs, ranking it among the top 20 ports nationwide. The province's total container liner routes reached 75, of which 36 were foreign trade routes. A total of 82 vessels, with a combined deadweight tonnage of 7.62 million tons, were registered under the "China Yangpu Port" ship registry, ranking among the top in terms of vessel count and capacity among all free trade ports (zones) in China.
Peng Chong stated that during the "15th Five-Year Plan," Hainan will accelerate the implementation of the "Dual-Hub Port" strategy, positioning Yangpu as a southern hub for domestic north-south routes and an eastern hub for east-west routes from Southeast Asia to North America. The province will build Yangpu International Hub Port to high standards. Key efforts will include enhancing the functionality of the Yangpu International Container Hub, advancing the construction of specialized cluster terminal infrastructure, improving navigation safety assurance, and comprehensively boosting port adaptability and cargo throughput. Major projects to be promoted include the expansion of the Hainan Yangpu Regional International Container Hub Port, the SDIC Yangpu Port 100,000-ton Public Grain and Oil Terminal project, and the Shentou Port Area Public Waterway project.
In terms of expanding the shipping network, Hainan will advance the development of sister port relationships between Yangpu Port and Port of Abu Dhabi. It will intensify efforts to expand routes to the Americas, Australia-New Zealand, and the Middle East, while increasing the frequency of routes to RCEP member countries or regions. The province will also optimize the layout of domestic trade routes, connecting with the Beibu Gulf port cluster to create a domestic trade trunk network covering major coastal ports nationwide. By 2030, the total container throughput of Hainan's ports is expected to approach the 10-million-TEU mark.
Furthermore, Hainan will strengthen the supporting capacity of the port-industry cluster to enhance resource allocation and international competitiveness. It will expand port logistics and supply chain services, bolstering large-scale port-industry clusters such as petrochemical new materials, new energy and marine engineering equipment manufacturing, wind power operation and maintenance, and grain and oil processing. The goal is to transform Yangpu Port into an open and innovative shipping service center for the New Western Land-Sea Corridor.
The "China Yangpu Port" ship registry policy is a core shipping liberalization policy of the Hainan Free Trade Port. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, Hainan will establish a more open and free shipping system, improve the policy framework for the "China Yangpu Port" ship registry, and enhance the quality and efficiency of international ship registration services. It will also deepen the pilot program for the multi-modal transport supervision model at Yangpu Port and explore more efficient and convenient transit supervision methods.