On March 22, the Shenzhen and Hong Kong Maritime Industry Dinner 2024 was successfully convened in Hong Kong, a collaborative effort between the Shenzhen Ports Association and the Hong Kong Container Terminal Operators Association Limited (HKCTOA).

With a storied legacy of over two decades, the Shenzhen and Hong Kong Maritime Industry Dinner has emerged as a cornerstone platform for fostering professional exchange among port and shipping experts from both cities. It serves as a critical symbol of the enduring cultural exchanges between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Last year's gathering, held on March 3, marked a significant milestone as the first major exchange endeavour between the two cities in the post-epidemic times, underscoring the swift responsiveness and robust bonds within the shipping and logistics communities of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. This year's gathering perpetuates this legacy, attracting nearly 200 industry peers to participate.

During the meeting, guests including Cai Xin, Deputy Director of Shenzhen Transport Bureau, Amy Chan, Deputy Secretary for Transport and Logistics Bureau of HKSAR, Jessie Chung, Chairperson of HKCTOA, and Lawrence Shum, President of the Shenzhen Ports Association and Managing Director of Hutchison Ports YANTIAN, convened alongside other distinguished attendees. Together, they engaged in extensive deliberations on development strategies, explored innovative pathways for collaboration, and participated in vigorous discussions concerning the present dynamics of port and shipping development. These discussions extended to the optimisation of the inherent cooperative advantages between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, with a focus on fostering deeper synergies within the port and shipping sector, and professionals from both cities contributed their valuable perspectives.

Cai Xin, Deputy Director of Shenzhen Transport Bureau, underscored the enduring unity and collaborative efforts among professionals in the port and shipping sectors of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Together, they have advanced hand in hand, intensifying cooperation across diverse domains such as port construction, operations, service networks, and pilotage. This collective endeavour has played a pivotal role in nurturing the sustained, high-quality development of the port and shipping industries in both Shenzhen and Hong Kong, providing substantial impetus to trade prosperity and economic advancement in the region. It serves as an exemplary model of integrated development for Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and the broader Greater Bay Area.

As the Greater Bay Area undergoes rapid development, Shenzhen and Hong Kong have embarked on a new phase of mutual integration and growth. Positioned to capitalise on the momentum of the development of Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen is committed to furthering consensus-building, deepening collaboration, and harnessing the complementarity within the port and shipping industries of both cities. The objective is to achieve seamless integration of maritime infrastructure and industrial development, fostering collaborative initiatives in establishing, governing, and sharing a standardised, digitised, and environmentally sustainable port and shipping supply chain ecosystem. Through these concerted efforts, we can elevate the port cluster in the Greater Bay Area from being the largest to the strongest in the world.

Mr Q. Shi, Director of Marine of the Hong Kong Marine Department, emphasised the significance of the Action Plan on Maritime and Port Development Strategy announced by the Hong Kong Transport and Logistics Bureau, in December last year. This plan places a high priority on exploring additional areas of cooperation with other ports and cities in the Greater Bay Area, aiming to dig business opportunities and foster Hong Kong's crucial role as a super connector in maritime affairs among cities in the Greater Bay Area. Given the close relationship between the ports of Hong Kong and Shenzhen and the vast hinterland of the Pearl River Delta and South China, inter-city cooperation is essential to drive national maritime development. The greater the synergy and complementary advantages between ports, the more substantial the benefits will be. Hong Kong Marine Department will work with relevant departments to hold the Greater Bay Maritime Forum in Shenzhen this year. This initiative aims to collectively establish and promote the brand of the Greater Bay Maritime Forum, showcasing its comprehensive capabilities.

Jessie Chung, Chairperson of HKCTOA, emphasised that Hong Kong possesses natural deep-water ports and free port status, complemented by state-of-the-art terminal facilities, enabling its role as an international shipping hub. Moreover, as a pivotal transshipment hub in Asia, Hong Kong's ports enjoy competitive advantages in streamlined clearance procedures, unparallelled operational efficiency, and robust international connectivity. These strengths align seamlessly with those of other ports in the Greater Bay Area, collectively providing efficient services for manufacturing and international trade within the region. The Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area explicitly supports Hong Kong's efforts to consolidate and enhance its stature as an international shipping centre, emphasising the importance of fostering complementary advantages and mutual benefits between ports. Looking ahead, Hong Kong should deepen its integration with Shenzhen, leading to elevated, profound, and broader realms of integrated development between the two cities. This collaborative effort will significantly contribute to the growth of the Greater Bay Area and China's overall development.

Lawrence Shum, President of the Shenzhen Ports Association, underscored the deep-rooted connections between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, both in terms of interpersonal relationships and geographical proximity. Shenzhen's unique status as the only mainland city directly linked to Hong Kong by both land and water positions it advantageously for cooperation. The extensive interactions involving feeders and vehicles between the two cities have laid a solid groundwork for collaboration. Amidst unprecedented external challenges, including trade disputes, geopolitical tensions, and fierce competition from neighbouring ports, collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong in the port and shipping sector has become increasingly urgent and indispensable. Given their status as global maritime hubs, leveraging their complementary advantages becomes imperative. How can we effectively utilise the benefits of "One Country, Two Systems"? How can we ensure outcomes that benefit not only Shenzhen and Hong Kong individually but also collectively? Answering these questions requires strong support from the governments of both cities and concerted efforts from professionals in the industry. Through collaborative endeavours between government and enterprises, we can enhance cross-border logistics efficiency, reduce costs, and innovate logistics models such as the Chongqing-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Rail-Sea Express, thereby diversifying the cargo sources and fostering mutually beneficial scenarios. These initiatives will improve the international competitiveness of Shenzhen and Hong Kong in shipping, create new opportunities, and contribute significantly to the high-quality development of the Greater Bay Area.

Left: Bruce Lee, Chairman of Hong Kong Pilots Association
Right: Roberto Giannetta, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Liner Shipping Association (HKLSA)

The Shenzhen and Hong Kong Maritime Industry Dinner 2024 serves as an invaluable platform for professionals in the port and shipping industries from both Shenzhen and Hong Kong to exchange ideas. Moving forward, the Shenzhen Ports Association and the HKCTOA will further leverage their roles as bridges and connectors in Shenzhen-Hong Kong port and shipping cooperation. This commitment is geared towards further advancing the development and collaboration within the port and shipping sector in both cities.

As a trailblazer in Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation over the past 30 years, YANTIAN was born and flourished thanks to this fruitful partnership. As the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area progresses, the collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong is set to deepen even further. YANTIAN is poised to play a pivotal role in this ongoing collaboration, actively contributing to the establishment of a win-win port, shipping, modern logistics, industrial chain, and supply chain service system.

YANTIAN will unswervingly support Shenzhen to be a logistics centre with global influence, and enhance Hong Kong's status as an international shipping and trade centre, thus consistently improving the international competitiveness of the Greater Bay Area, achieving the dual-carbon goals and the high-quality development of international trade of China.