Eva Cheng
According to Hong Kong’s transport minister, Eva Cheng, Hong Kong has nothing to fear from Shanghai’s development into an international shipping center, as the former has a unique advantage in professional services for the industry, according to Hong Kong’s transport minister.
The South China Morning Post reported that Eva Cheng said the ports of Hong Kong and Shanghai served different hinterlands and there was synergy between the two cities’ maritime industries.
The secretary for transport and housing said Hong Kong’s professional services to the maritime industry could help upgrade Shanghai’s shipping industry to meet international standards.
The State Council announced last week that Shanghai should strive to become an international financial center and international shipping center, in line with the country’s economic power and the growing importance of its currency, by 2020.
Eva Cheng said, ‘An international maritime center is more than a port handling cargo-carrying containers. Hong Kong has a well-developed cluster of professional services for maritime industry, such as legal services, insurance, financing and registration of vessels.’
CargoNews Asia pointed out that Hong Kong’s port handled 24.4 million TEUs last year, compared with container throughput of 28 million TEUs in Shanghai.
Eva Cheng said there were more than 900 firms in Hong Kong that specialised in providing professional services for the maritime industry.
Shesaid, ‘Shanghai is still in the initial stage of developing professional services for maritime industry and would like to draw on the expertise of providers of such services in Hong Kong.’
She admitted Hong Kong’s maritime industry faced the problem of high operating costs, although the city excelled in efficient and value-added service.
Eva Cheng said the feasibility study for the planned development of Container Terminal 10 in Tsing Yi was expected to be completed in two years, and building the terminal would take another six or seven years.
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