How many ports does China have?

How many ports does China have?

In recent years, with the continuous improvement of China's opening up to the outside world, the number and functions of ports, as important hubs for international trade and personnel exchanges, have also continued to expand. This article will sort out the overall situation of China's ports and present relevant data in a structured manner to help readers fully understand the distribution and types of China's ports.

1. Overall number of ports in China

According to the latest data from China’s National Port Management Office, as of 2023, China has a total of various ports313. These ports can be divided into four categories according to their functions: air ports, water transport ports, railway ports and highway ports. The specific distribution is as follows:

2. Regional distribution of China’s ports

The distribution of China's ports shows obvious regional characteristics, with a large number of ports in coastal areas and border provinces. The following is the statistics of the number of ports in major provinces:

3. Functional classification of China’s ports

China's ports can be divided into first-class ports and second-class ports according to their degree of openness. Category I ports refer to ports that allow Chinese and foreign nationals, goods, items and vehicles to directly enter and exit the country; Category II ports are limited to Chinese nationals, goods, items and vehicles entering and exiting the country. The following is a comparison of the two types of ports:

4. Development Trend of China’s Ports

In recent years, China's port construction has shown the following trends: First,Intelligent upgrade, more and more ports adopt new technologies such as face recognition and electronic customs clearance; secondly,Regional collaboration, such as the coordinated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area port cluster; the third isDiversified functions, some ports have added new functions such as cross-border e-commerce and cold chain logistics.

Taking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as an example, this area has formed a network including Shenzhen Bay, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, etc.World-class port group, the average daily customs clearance volume exceeds 800,000, making it one of the busiest port areas in the world.

5. Ranking of China’s major international air ports

The following are the top five international air ports by passenger throughput in 2023:

Conclusion

China's 313 ports form a three-dimensional network connecting domestic and foreign countries, supporting personnel exchanges and trade flows between China and the world. With the in-depth implementation of the "Belt and Road" initiative and the implementation of free trade agreements such as RCEP, China's ports will continue to play an important role, and their quantity and quality will be further improved, providing strong support for building a new development pattern.