New UN data: China widens lead in liner-shipping connectivity

China’s connectivity advantage has remained durable since 2023 and increased further through September, UNCTAD said. South Korea and Singapore retained high scores despite modest month-to-month declines, and both remained above their levels a year earlier.

The United States and Malaysia held fourth and fifth place, respectively. Their September index readings increased from August but remained below September 2025 levels, indicating an improvement in the immediate period without a full recovery in year-over-year connectivity.

At the regional level, the United States was the leading performer in North America, Spain led Europe, Egypt led Africa, and Panama ranked first in Latin America and the Caribbean. China and Panama improved their connectivity from a year earlier, while the United States, Spain and Egypt remained regional leaders despite declines in their index values.

Smaller markets drive volatility

While major hub economies generally recorded limited year-over-year changes, smaller and less-connected economies showed the sharpest percentage swings in the third quarter, according to UNCTAD.

Venezuela posted the largest increase in liner-shipping connectivity from the third quarter of 2025, rising 91.4%. Saint Pierre and Miquelon increased 89.3%, followed by Syria at 79.7%. Persian Gulf hostilities saw Qatar record the steepest decline, falling 65.3%, followed by Bahrain, down 60.6%, and Iraq, down 56%.

UNCTAD said connectivity losses outnumbered gains in the third quarter, a sign of uneven changes across national shipping networks. The data do not necessarily imply comparable absolute changes across markets, since percentage movements can be more pronounced for countries starting from relatively low connectivity levels.

China-centered Asian links dominate

The strongest bilateral liner-shipping relationships in the first quarter of 2026 were concentrated among nearby trading economies, particularly in Asia.

China’s links with South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia were among the five strongest bilateral connections globally, UNCTAD said. The agency noted that China-related connections in Asia have strengthened during the past two decades and now exceed many other bilateral corridors.

Two European short-sea links —United Kingdom-Belgium and United Kingdom-Netherlands — also remained in the global top five. Those routes were once the world’s strongest bilateral liner-shipping connections, according to UNCTAD.

Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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