Container Terminal Development in Mainland China and Its Impact on the Competitiveness of the Port of Hong Kong

TLDR

China’s container ports have recently expanded throughput and capacity. The study reviews Mainland China’s container port development and examines Shenzhen’s potential to become the dominant regional hub. The authors review sector developments and analyze competition between Shenzhen and Hong Kong ports. The analysis concludes that Hong Kong is likely to retain its dominant role despite Shenzhen’s advantages.

Abstract

In recent years, China's container ports have experienced a significant expansion in throughput and capacity. This paper provides a review of the sector and analyses the recent development of container ports and terminals within Mainland China. It then focuses in more depth on the competition between the ports of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. In particular, the port of Shenzhen is analysed in the context of Robinson's criteria for hub port development to try to discern whether it will become the dominant regional hub. The discussion concludes that despite Shenzhen's current competitive advantages, Hong Kong will, in all probability, retain its dominant role.