Department of Transportation or Port System Reform

Chen Yingming, executive vice president of the China Port Association, said that "in recent years, China's port industry has developed rapidly. At this stage, it has become a world port country, but it is still not a world port country. In the process of port development, there have been many problems in the port. This is unavoidable. At present, it is time to solve it."

Chen Yingming believes that the problems existing in our country's ports are mainly concentrated on three aspects: whether the system is appropriate, the reform of the price mechanism, and the lack of interaction between Hong Kong and the city.

According to the reporter’s understanding, the Ministry of Transport intends to adjust and improve the port price mechanism plan, and establishes a project on the reform of China’s port system. The title of the project is “Assessment of China’s port system reform and recommendations for future reforms” and is undertaken by the China Port Association. Work has started and it is expected to end in April and May next year.

The issue of port prices is also a prominent issue reflected by companies in recent years. In March this year, the China Port Association held a symposium on Shanghai Port Price Mechanism Reform. Representatives said that "the reform of the port price mechanism has become an important issue for the survival and development of the port."

In recent years, prices have risen rapidly, oil prices and labor costs have risen sharply, and port rates have not been adjusted for 10 years. Some rates have been far lower than actual costs, such as the government-guided price bias for domestic shipping container port dry charges. Low, resulting in the loss of most companies; without sub-regional, regardless of the level of economic and social development, the implementation of the "universal across the country" approach to port charges, it is difficult to adapt to the sustainable development of the region and the industry. With the implementation of the “Port Law” and the separation of the government and enterprises of the port enterprises, various investment entities have entered the port market, and market competition has become increasingly fierce. Port prices have become an important means for port companies to compete. The profit of the port industry has been meagre and even losses, and business operations are difficult.

In addition, due to the transmission effect of the downturn effect of the shipping industry, the production costs of port enterprises will not decrease, and the reform of the port price management mechanism and the improvement of the port charging rules are imminent. In fact, the port industry has high hopes for the reform of the port system of the Ministry of Communications. A relevant person in charge of the port company stated that he hopes that the port charges can be cancelled in a one-size-fits-all manner, establish and improve the port price supervision mechanism, and amend and improve the port charges rules as soon as possible. It is hoped that the domestic shipping container loading and unloading contract fees will adopt the same filing system as foreign trade.

Du Lindong, deputy secretary-general of the China Port Association, said that port charges should be changed gradually across the country, and that according to different regional economic and social development levels and differences, reasonable government guidance prices should be set for different regions, or market prices should be adjusted to suit local conditions. The needs of the economy and the development of the enterprise; the fees charged by the government for the pricing of the port or the government-guided price in the port charges must be fully considered and the corresponding standards should be reasonably raised.