The coastal highway a boost for industry, commerce

The Shenyang-Haikou Expressway which runs along the Chinese coast has fostered the development of port enterprises, maritime industries and tourism, and has also boosted the country’s foreign trade, as the ports along it serve as a gateway to 21st century Maritime Silk Road country.

The highway, which will stretch for 3,623.55 kilometers, departs from Shenyang, in Liaoning province, and crosses the provinces of Shandong and Jiangsu, Shanghai and the provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong, to reach finish in Haikou, Hainan province.

Connecting special economic zones, coastal cities, nationwide new zones and free trade zones, the road, commonly referred to as the Shenhai Expressway, provides a window into China’s achievements in reform and opening up. , said experts.

About 10 km from the exit of Dalian Port of the highway, visitors see a bustling container terminal with colorful containers stacked neatly and tall cranes loading and unloading them in the Jinpu New Area in Dalian, Liaoning.

“It is one of the busiest container terminals in China,” said Zhang Hao, deputy general manager of Dalian Container Terminal, adding that the company handled 5.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs ) freight last year.

This included nearly 80,000 TEUs of refrigerated fruit imports, ranking number one among domestic container terminals.

China’s vast network of highways, including the Shenhai Expressway, can transport the fruit to customers across the country after it arrives at the port, Zhang said.

Dalian Container Terminal is one of the largest container terminals in northern China, and its foreign trade routes reach ports in more than 160 countries and regions around the world.

By taking a passenger ship rolling from a port in Dalian, one can arrive at Yantai, Shandong Province, which faces Dalian on the other side of Bohai Bay, and then reach Changdao, a group of islands. administered by Yantai, to enjoy spectacular ocean landscapes. .

Lin Shaopeng, who runs a host family on one of the islands, is busy these days as the summer tourist season approaches.

“My foster family costs around 2,000 yuan ($ 313) a day,” he said. “Although the price is a little higher, a lot of tourists come to rent it.”

Lin said his guests came from all over the country.

“Highways make transportation easy and convenient,” he said. “There are a lot of tourists from southern China.

Changdao consists of 151 islands but only 10 are inhabited by a few inhabitants. As a result, the region is home to abundant wildlife.

Changdao Marine Ecological Civilization Global Pilot Zone was established in 2008 with the support of the local government to promote the ecological development of the island.

The well-protected environment has helped the island’s residents enrich themselves through the development of an environmentally friendly fishing industry and tourism, the area office said.