Editor’s Note: As the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will open soon, CCTV.com had produced a 20-episode special series, 'Amazing China - A 5-year Miracle,' that cover the hottest topics in the country during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first 5-year term in office. Our CCTV Panview team brings you a closer look...
Why is a foggy harbor getting so much attention from the media? That’s because if the harbor is out of order, goods you are going to buy from China will run short of storage for the time being.
The Leverkusen Express cargo ship of UK is slowly sailing in the port, ready to unload more than 3,000 containers of cargo worthing multi-million US dollars. Meanwhile, another 3,000 boxes of goods from China are waiting to be shipped to Great Britain. All loadings are expected to be completed within 24 hours.
This is Shanghai port, the world's busiest and biggest container port as large as 470 soccer fields combined, covering 3.94 square kilometers. It connects China with more than 600 ports in 214 countries and regions. Annually, China exchanges 40 million standard cases - 3.6 billion tons of goods - with countries and regions around the world through this huge-capacity port. Anything could have been transferred from here such as cars, computers, toys, bags, cosmetics and whisky. No wonder congestions at the port receive so much international attention.
There are many big ports in China. During the past five years, the Chinese government has made headway in port construction. China boasts 34 ports with annual handling capacity of more than a hundred million tons and 2,317 berths exceeding 10 thousand tons, 1.3 times more than five years ago. Also, Chinese ports have occupied 7 spots in the world's top 10 ports.
Meanwhile, China is also leading the way with the scope and sophistication of its rail networks and rolling stock.
For example, a suspended train in Qingdao runs at 70km/h, while in Chongqing, the train is running through blocks of high-rising buildings. It's a phenomenon much covered in the Western media.
But the most amazing part is it’s leading worldwide in operations and management. China’s high-speed passenger railway network has extended to 40,000 kilometers, which could circle all around the earth. And the high-speed passenger train shuttling between Beijing and Shanghai is operated on the world's busiest route - with an annual passenger volume of one hundred million and a departure every 3 minutes during the busiest time. Despite challenging operation times, trains in China usually score perfectly for punctuality!
The efficiency and safety of the train lines in China have been guaranteed by the world's most advanced train control and operating system. Here is one of the command centers of the Chinese railway network with more than 4,100 trains under surveillance 24h a day. Besides running conditions, bridge tracks, running speeds and even the axle temperatures are all real-time monitored.
Today, China has expanded its railway business to other countries. CRRC, the world's largest supplier of rail transit equipment, has provided rolling stock for more than one hundred countries and regions. The number continues to rise. Wherever you are in the world, there's a good chance your train ride is a ‘Made in China’ carriage!
In 1990, China accounted for less than 3% of global manufacturing output. But 20 years later, it had surpassed the U.S. to become the world's largest manufacturing nation.
Under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government has given priority to infrastructure development. In 2016 alone, it had invested in 400 projects.
Even U.S. President Donald Trump has noticed the infrastructure gap between the U.S. and China. He wants to invest about a trillion US dollars to develop American infrastructures just to catch up with China.
As "Infrastructure Magician," China hasn't slowed down its pace. Let's keep looking forward to more impressive infrastructure. So, what will our travel look like in the future?
(The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Panview or CCTV.com. )
Panview offers a new window of understanding the world as well as China through the views, opinions, and analysis of experts. We also welcome outside submissions, so feel free to send in your own editorials to "globalopinion@vip.cntv.cn" for consideration.
