China wants closer scrutiny of liner alliances, conferences

China wants closer scrutiny of liner alliances, conferences    Zhang Shouguo, from China’s Department of Water Transport, urged closer inspection of liner alliances and conferences, at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Maritime Transport Workshop in Paris earlier this month.
   “Nowadays our government is making researches on the pricing practices of liner alliances, and strengthening the administration over it in our country’s shipping market. Taking this opportunity I wish to say we hope maritime transport sectors from all countries would pay enough attention to liner alliance organizations and their roles, study and formulate necessary international norms,” Shouguo said.
   Shouguo also outlined the incredible growth of the Chinese economy and its impact on the Chinese transport market. From January through September the foreign trade value reached $825 billion, 36.7 percent higher than the same period in 2003. Container throughput of the mainland China ports reached 43.7 million TEUs, a rise of 27.2 percent on the same period in 2003.
   “In order to better suffice the need of the growth of the economy and foreign trade of the country, the construction of a series of shipping infrastructure projects has been accelerated. The focus has been directed on speeding up construction of the Yangshan deepwater port and the Yangtse River estuary deepwater channel project of the Shanghai international shipping center as the construction of the specialized terminals,” Shouguo said.
   Shouguo also outlined two new regulating rules aimed at standardizing business practices:
   * The “Regulating Rules on Foreign Investment in International Maritime Transport Sector,” which specify the conditions and procedures for approving foreign investors.
   * “The Port Law of the People’s Republic of China,” which came into force in January, and delegated port administration to the municipalities of the ports location