The Team's Board Report - Mainfreight

21
ASIA
Mainfreight Express Lines – Linda Huang
As Mainfreight Express continues to expand
throughout China our next branch will be in
Qingdao. This is planned for later this year.
Qingdao is a beautiful city and a very important
transportation hub. Highlighted below is a little
about the city our next Chinese branch will
open in.
An Important Coastal City in East China
• Qingdao is a key economic centre and port
city in China famous for its cultural heritage
and picturesque scenery.
• Qingdao is one of China’s top ten
economically dynamic cities and top ten
business cities. It is the winner of the
country’s “Entrepreneur’s Satisfaction
Award”.
• Qingdao is a national model for
environmental protection, city sanitation and
landscape development. It is the winner of
“China Human Settlements and Environment
Award”.
• Qingdao is a sailing city in China. The 29th
Olympic sailing regatta will be held here in
2008.
• Qingdao is one of the 14 coastal cities
opening up to the outside world and
one of the eight cities authorized to hold
international conferences.
• Qingdao is one of China’s major seaports for
foreign trade.
• Qingdao is an important base for marine
science research in China.
Qingdao has seven urban districts and five
county-level cities under its jurisdiction with
a total area of 10,654 square kilometres and
a population of 7,311,200. The urban area
measures 1,102 square kilometres and urban
residents total 2,584,000.
Qingdao lies in the North Temperate Zone and
has a typical temperate monsoon climate.
Under the direct influence of the south-eastern
monsoon and the sea currents and tides, the
city proper enjoys a typical maritime climate
with humid air, mild temperature and clearcut
seasons. In spring, the weather becomes
warmer slowly, usually a month later than the
inland areas. It is humid and rainy in summer,
but is free from fiercely hot days, while cool and
dry in autumn. Winter here is long and usually
windy but not unbearably cold.
Qingdao Port is a famous natural port. It is an
important gateway for international trade and a
key transportation hub in the Yellow Sea region
and along the west coast of the Pacific. It has
a container dock, an ore dock, an oil dock
and a coal dock with 97 international shipping
routes linking more than 450 ports around the
world. Every month, 419 international voyages
are available to ports worldwide. In 2004, the
throughput of the port reached 163 million tons,
ranking first in China. Of this figure, mineral ores
accounted for 53 million tons, imported crude
oil 23 million tons, ranking first respectively in
China; foreign trade goods 120 million tons
and containers 5.14 million TEUs, ranking 2nd
and 3rd respectively across the country. This
placed the Port at the 15th in the world in terms
of throughput. Qingdao Port No.1 in China in
terms of resources utilized for foreign trade,
which totals .75 percent.