Shanghai: A New Trading and
Transportation Gateway

Shanghai, with the Yangtze River Region, has experienced significant growth in the 1990s, averaging about 12 percent per annum, with real estate (including financial services) as a key contributor. This growth was epitomized by the development of Pudong, including the creation of the new international airport, which handles about 650,000 tons of air freight per annum.
        Shanghai has a traditional role as a coastal trading hub, also serving central China. It is therefore focused on improving the road, rail and waterborne distribution network feeding its air and sea ports. As an example, scheduled block trains run to and from Wuhan, a central logistics location in China providing direct access to the region.
        In order to provide the deepwater capability to handle increased TEU movement and large container vessels, Shanghai is in the process of developing a deepwater container port in close proximity. Existing container traffic in Shanghai is over 6 million tons per annum.
        However, in addition to the development of Hong Kong and Shanghai as northern and central trade and transportation centers, they are complemented by numerous other efforts to improve China's logistics capabilities.