Two container shipping companies have announced that they will begin services from South China and Vietnam to the East Coast of the USA via the Suez Canal.  Beginning in June, the service is designed to answer customer’s requirements for improved transit times   for container freight shipping from Asia to the USA.  The route will [...]

An air cargo carrier has just launched a new twice-weekly scheduled service to Chongqing, China. The flight from Luxembourg via Doha and Sharjah, lands at Chongqing’s Jianbai International Airport. The return route is via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Baku.  The second route is via Tbilisi, Baku and Singapore, and returns via Baku. Chongqing’s  rapid economic and social [...]

Discussions between the premiers of Turkey and China began last month to reach agreement on a high speed rail link across Turkey, which would finalise a land bridge which will revolutionise freight transport between Asia and Europe. If this is realised, then it would complete a Chinese Trans-Eurasian Rail Bridge project bringing freight from China to [...]

AS Germany has reduced the level of subsidy for solar power industries from 1 April, China is expecting that exports of solar panels will reduce in volume.  China is home to the biggest producers in the world of solar panels, and has been relying on exports for growth.

A new shipping service between the Far East and Europe has added a call at Gothnburg, Sweden to its route. This is the second weekly service linking Gothenburg with Asia, and will provide links to the China – at the ports of Ningbo and Shangai – as well as Singapore, Jeddah, Tangier, Bremerhaven and Rotterdam. [...]

Analysts in China are advising exporters to concentrate more efforts on emerging markets such as Brazil or India.  In the first quarter of 2012, exports from China fell by 1.8 percent, and imports rose by 9.8 per cent. Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa account for only 7.9 per cent of the countries trade, so [...]

Yunnan, in south West China, is one of the major world suppliers of geranium oil, which is an essential ingredient for many perfumes. In 2010, exports from Yunnan’s fragrance manufacturers amounted to 80 million euros worth – a 20% increase from the previous year.  Most of these exports war to the USA, Europe, India and [...]

The international manager of the organisation for the British pig industry was in China early in March to finalise details of the logistics of the pork trade with Chinese officials. They hope to export ‘fifth quarter products’ such as offal and ears to China, as they fetch high prices there.  Negotiations to open the Chinese [...]

In 2011 imports of pig offal accounted for more than 65 pe cent of the total pig products imported in China.  Demand for meet has been growing in China, and this is helping exports in other parts of the world.  This also has a knock on effect on animal feed prices. China imported agricultural products [...]

It is likely that the USA, EU and Japan will lodge complaints with the World Trade Organisation over China’s restrictions on exports of rare earths. These commodities contain 17 elements which are essential for the manufacture of high tech products, and China is the world’s largest producer.  The country’s policy is to restrict exports to [...]

The Commerce Ministry of China has said that tax rebates for exports are likely to be increased this year.  Exports have declined sharply due to the European debt crisis, and the government wishes to stabilise export growth.  The announcement was made at the 2012 China Imports and Exports Work Conference in Nanchang in Jiangxi province [...]

A former deputy commerce minister in China announced that the import taxes on a large number of consumer and luxury goods will be lowered this year. The aim is to promote domestic consumption in China. This is encouraging news for exporters in the West; Chinese consumers are interested in buying goods which are made overseas, [...]

China has recently implemented a VAT programme which now covers all services.  This includes a 6% rate for the logistics and international freight forwarding industry. Shanghai has been chosen as the pilot city, but it appears that most freight forwarders have added 6% VAT on their invoices from 1 January, although some have not. The [...]

Ireland is hoping to increase its exports of agri-food products like dairy goods, meat and seafood.  They are forecasting that shipments will grow by nearly 42 per cent by 2020 from the average in 2007 to 2009. The sector is reliant on exports, but is competing with New Zealand, which has a free trade agreement [...]

Wenzhou, in the provide of Zhejiang in China, is one of the main regions for the manufacture of spectacles.  Manufacturers there are expecting to reduce production by about 20% this year because of falling demand from Europe. Last year, the total value of their exports was 7 billion yuan. The city’s spectacles exports account for [...]

This time last year Hong Kong airport was at the top of the league table for freight volumes, mainly thanks to soaring exports from China throughout 2010.  Now that Chinese exports are contracting, there has been a severe correction in freight traffic volumes.  In November 2011 Hong Kong recorded a 6.6% drop in throughput, mainly [...]

Chinese exports to Europe fell 9% in October compared with the same period in 2010.  The foreign trade director of the Ministry of Commerce in China told the BBC last year that the ‘foreign trade situation will be severe’ in 2012. Other commentators argue that industry is becoming more efficient which will reduce the cost [...]

The downturn in world trade and increased fuel costs are affecting profits and cash flow in Chinese shipping companies. One major shipping line has handed back two chartered vessels to their owners, whilst another company halted payments on some long-term charters mid-term.  The Chinese Ministry of Commerce is expecting the foreign trade situation to be [...]

London Gateway port, currently under construction 40 km east of London, will be the United Kingdom’s newest deep-sea container port combined with one of Europe’s largest logistics parks. The port is hoping to attract at least 70 percent of containers arriving from China. With a capacity of 3.5 million TEU the port will be almost [...]

China is now the top export destination for the Bordeaux region of France, and wealthy Chinese are increasingly investing in wine. Perhaps more surprising is the growing fashion for Beaujolais Nouveau, and Chinese are buying this wine in bulk as it reflects their taste for novelty and fashion.  It is particularly popular amongst young people. [...]

The International Chamber of Commerce in China will be hosting an import Trade Fair on March 29th in Jiangsu province. The exhibition will include machinery, IT, high tech products and consumer goods and will enable potential exporters to China to find new customers and markets.

Growth in China’s exports is expected to be slow in the first half of this year because of the complicated situation in the world economy.  It is expected that growth in imports will be higher than that in imports. Exporters of luxury goods in particular are expecting a difficult year as consumers in the USA [...]

The first going venture air cargo service in China has been suspended due to falling volumes of freight. The Shenzhen-based carrier  was founded in 2004 and operated a fleet of six B747 extended range freighters to destinations including Frankfurt and Dubai, as well as Shanghai, Chengdu and other Chinese cities. The suspension is temporary to [...]

A new container shipping service between Taiwan and Northern China will take advantage of increased volumes of freight between the two countries. Two 1,200teu vessels will operate on a 14-day loop, calling at Tianjin, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Keelung, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Taipei and back to Tianjin.

Eurofer, the European steel producers’ group, has filed an anti-dumping complaint with the European commission against imports of organic-coated steel from China.  A formal investigation is expected to begin next month. A series of complaints have been brought by the European community against imports from China.  If EU authorities find evidence of dumping, provisional tariffs [...]

Container freight rates are continuing to fall while shipping lines have excess capacity and compete with each other for reducing volumes of cargo. Rates on the Asia to Europe and Asia to west coast Europe are falling according to the Shanghai Containerised Freight Index. While some container lines have been withdrawing capacity, growth has been [...]

The volume of freight through China’s ports has been on the increase, with domestic movements out-stripping international freight. Overall freight movements in China have increased over the first 10 months of the year. The Chinese government is investing heavily in transport infrastructure to support this increase, with rivers, roads and coastal developments all receiving increases [...]

The UK trade association for the Scotch whisky industry have published figures showing that the value of China’s imports of Scotch whisky is increasing steadily.  In 2001 the value was 2.9 million dollars, in  2010 it was more than 85 million dollars. Exports to China rapidly increased when its economy began to take off after [...]

Exports from China to the rest of the world slowed in October, as growth in Europe stagnated.  But China continued to buy products from the rest of the world and imports grew by over 28%. Exports to the USA grew more than in the previous month, suggesting that the USA has coped better with the [...]

With demand from the European Union and the USA slowing in September, China is expecting the export sector to face difficult times in the months ahead.  Imports of processing materials remained slow in September. China engages a lot in the processing trade – the country imports raw materials and half-finished goods, processes them and exports [...]

Freight rates for containers between the USA West Coast and China are rising, according to the Shanghai Containerised Freight Index. This could be a reaction to reduced capacity on the route, as shipping lines remove vessels in response to lower world demand. In contrast, the Shanghai-Rotterdam freight rate and the China-Europe rates are reducing. Indications [...]

This month a new direct rail container service from  Germany to China will be officially opened. The transit time of 23 days for a journey of about 11 000 kilometers will run from Leipzig to Shenyang in Northeast China.  The rail operator says that this will be more than twice as fast as the previous [...]

Xiamen Port in the Fujian province of East China has plans to increase freight volumes in response to reducing exports caused by weakening demand from the USA and Europe. By building large scale industry clusters and port warehouses, accompanied by a strong logistics network. the provincial government hopes to increase the annual throughput to 10 [...]

Starting tomorrow, the Breakbulk Africa Transport Congress covers a variety of topics. How China is investing in Africa, infrastructure and port development, bulk transport  bottlenecks and the challenges of doing business in Africa will all be covered.  The event will include experts from cargo carriers, shipper, ports, freight forwarders and packers.

Flooding in Queensland, Australia has had a huge impact on exports; up to 30 million tonnes of iron ore were unable to be dug out, processed and shipped to China and elsewhere after the mines were flooded. Exports dropped by 8.7 per cent in the three months to March, the biggest quarterly fall in 37 [...]

In September a new weekly LCL shipping service began between Rotterdam and Asia.  The new services which are guaranteed to operate, will improve the supply chain between Asia and Europe, reducing transit times by two to four days and carbon emissions by up to 6.6%. The three services:Shanghai to Rotterdam, Hong Kong to Rotterdam and [...]

A new direct air freight service has been launched from Schipol airport in Amsterdam to Chongqing in China. The cargo service to one of China’s major centres for the production of computers will operate twice a week.  There is a strong demand for consumer imports to this area of China. There are already a number [...]

According to Customs Data, Chinese export prices are increasing as growth is slowing. Meanwhile, the nation’s foreign trade with countries such as India, ASEAN members, Russia, Brazil and South Africa is growing. The average price of Chinese exports rose 10.3 percent during the first eight months of this year, in comparison with the same period last [...]

A new direct air freight service from China to the Mid West of the USA has been inaugerated.  On 23rd September the first cargo flight to St Louis in Missouri arrived from Shanghai in China. The Chinese Consul General to Chicago and the Mayor of St Louis met the flight. Trade between the two countries [...]

Although the monthly volume of container freight through China’s ports was the highest in history in the first half of 2011, growth began to slow down in the second quarter.  A shipping industry expert said that this was caused by a decrease in demand from overseas.  Growth in container freight volumes is expected to be [...]

One of the world’s major shipping lines has announced a new service from Asia to Europe which will ‘guarantee’ a sailing every day at the same time, with a guaranteed arrival time.   From next month, the service will operate as a giant ocean conveyor belt, and will compensate customers if containers are not delivered [...]

Cargo importers in Taiwan are complaining that their shipments are being delayed because Customs authorities are taking too long to inspect goods.  The Customs officials say they need more time to prevent ‘possible misunderstandings’ while the importers complain that officials are excessively cautious. There have  been a number of alleged scams in Taiwan in which [...]

Emerging markets will become more and more important in the global economy, as countries like India and China report growth rates of around 10%, in sharp contrast to the developed Western economies.  The CEO of Agility Europe wrote in the journal of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport that logistics providers need to re-examine [...]

The largest all-cargo airline in Russia has started a new freight service to Zhengzhou in China.  The airline already operates routes from Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai to Russia and other major centres in Europe.  The new flights are operating three times a week from Maastricht and Amsterdam in the Netherlands through Yekaterinburg and Krasnoyarsk [...]

A new container terminal at the port of Colombo in Sri Lanka will be built with the help of finance from China. The agreement between Sri Lanka Ports Authority and Colombo International Container Terminals (a consortium between a Chinese and Sri Lankan company) was signed in Shenzhen, China.  The Chinese government officially invited Sri Lankan [...]

The world wide economic climate resulting in lacking consumer confidence has meant that orders for consumer goods are falling below expectations, and ships are sailing below capacity.  Carriers on the Asia-US container lines usually introduce surcharges around mid-June.  But this year, the surcharges have been delayed because the main routes have excess shipping capacity. The [...]

Latest figures from the International Air Transport Association show that air freight is still suffering from high fuel costs and lack of demand. June cargo volumes were 3% lower than the same month last year, and 1% lower than the year before. Asia Pacific carriers, who are the biggest participant of the air freight market [...]

A gas tanker followed by three ice breakers left Murmansk on Saturday carrying gas condensate for China.  The journey will take two weeks, and the crew will collect data on ice conditions in the area. This is the first time a high-tonnage tanker has travelled from Europe to Asia via the Northern Sea Route.  Sailing [...]

EU controls on the Import of polyamide and melamine plastic kitchenware from China and Hong Kong came into force on 1st July 2011. The full details are contained in EU Commission Regulation Number 284/2011

Yesterday some 31.4 bn of trade agreements with China were announced by the government to coincide with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Britian.  The ban on poultry exports to China has been lifted but even with these helpful developments, the trade gap between the UK and China will remain huge. China exported £17bn more [...]

The President of the American Soybean Association has announced that exports to China are expected to rise by 5 % more than last year.  It is hope that this will promote relations between China and the USA and help to balance trade between them. China imported a quarter of the USA’s domestic production last year; [...]

A new cargo route was launched last month between Chongqing in the southwest of China, and Europe. The route Shanghai-Chongqing-Moscow-Luxembourg-Shanghai flies every Wednesday and Sunday. The “Yangtze River Express” will help to build an air service network to Russia with Moscow as the hub, and another web for central and western Europe with Luxembourg as the [...]

Although rain is now giving relief from China’s six month drought, navigation for cargo shipping is still restricted on the Yangtze river – the longest river in Asia – as conditions vary from drought to flood. The drought suspended cargo shipping along a 224-kilometer (140-mile) stretch in the middle and lower reaches of the river [...]

Low utilisation rates have forced shipping lines to reduce capacity on the Asia to Europe routes in an effort to cut costs.  Freight rates have been steadily declining on the route, and shipping lines are hoping to push up rates by reducing capacity and increasing demand.  According to the latest Shanghai Containerised Freight Index, container [...]

A subsidiary of China Highway Engineering Consulting Group company has signed an agreement with a company based in Milton Keynes to use its road preservative product. The product protects against surface deterioration which is caused by weather and high volumes of traffic. China will concentrate its huge infrastructure investment on new roads, rather than repairing [...]

The government in China is due to announce its May trade figures on Friday, and some economists expect that they will show a slowdown in growth.  A  recent report estimates that Chinese export growth dropped to 20 percent year-on-year, down from 29.9 percent in April, while import growth is expected to rise from 21.8 percent [...]

Freight container rates from Asia to Europe are declining, even though shipping lines are increasing bunker surcharges. The Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI), all-in spot rates from Shanghai to Europe were $9 lower than the previous week. Shipping lines may find it difficult to implement a peak-season surcharge (PSS) this year as ships are only [...]

From 1 July 2011, imports of plastic kitchenware from China and Hong Kong will have to be a accompanied by a declaration and analytical results to confirm that they comply with limits on the release of harmful chemicals. Although the law in the UK has not yet been published, it will be aligned with the [...]