State-owned shipping firms China Cosco Holdings, (1919.HKG, 601919.SHA) China Shipping Container Lines (2866.HKG, 601866.HKG) and China Shipping Development (1138.HKG, 600026.SHA) applied for a trading halt after the market closed on Friday as China Ocean Shipping Group (Cosco) and China Shipping Group began plans for a merger after being ordered to do so by Beijing, South China Morning Post reported, citing unnamed sources. Any consolidation process would be exceedingly complex thanks to the web of stock listings of the two groups and their earnings disparity. China Shipping’s offshoots have been outperforming its bigger rival since the shipping market slumped.