At a press conference held on September 10th, Zhejiang Province outlined its strategic blueprint for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, focusing on deepening the integration of its four key transport hubs: sea ports, airports, land ports, and digital trade ports. The initiative aims to accelerate the construction of a world-class strong port, a high-level civil aviation province, and a China-Europe Railway Express assembly center, ultimately building a comprehensive and open transport system that enhances the province's capacity to connect with global markets.
The "Four Ports Linkage" strategy is a cornerstone of Zhejiang's ambition to serve as a strategic pivot for the domestic economic cycle and a vital hub for the dual circulation development pattern. According to Cai Hong, Director of the Provincial Department of Transportation, the province has already established 261 international shipping routes, 60 all-cargo air routes, and 27 China-Europe Railway Express lines. Over the next five years, these figures are set to expand significantly as part of a broader push to modernize the logistics network.
Where the Strategy Takes Shape
To strengthen the leading role of its sea ports, Zhejiang will elevate Ningbo Zhoushan Port into a premier international hub, with high-standard development of a national bulk commodity storage base. The plan also includes supporting Wenzhou and Taizhou in jointly building a near-sea shipping center, and assisting Jiaxing in developing a river-sea intermodal transport hub. The province intends to expand its network of far-sea routes, refine Arctic routes, and optimize near-sea routes, aiming to surpass 270 international container routes at Ningbo Zhoushan Port by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Concurrently, efforts will be made to cultivate a modern shipping services industry, establishing five major clusters and improving high-end services like shipping finance, with a target to secure a top-six ranking in the Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index.
On the land front, Zhejiang will bolster the Jinhua-Yiwu China-Europe Railway Express assembly center to enhance its hub capacity and improve the functionality of facilities like the East China International Intermodal Transport Port. The strategy includes developing new pre-assembly zones, expanding diversified international land transport corridors, such as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, and establishing overseas distribution centers. The province will also deepen market-oriented reforms for the railway express, improve time-tabled train services, and encourage international road transport to forge new cross-border logistics routes to Europe, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.
For its airports, Zhejiang will enhance Hangzhou Airport's role as a gateway international aviation hub and build Jiaxing into a first-class international aviation logistics hub. A new "One Circle, Two Corridors, One Belt, Multiple Points" international route network will be developed, covering a five-hour flight circle in Asia, corridors to North America and Europe, routes to Belt and Road countries, and connections to other global hubs. The province aims to serve 35 countries and regions with 70 international all-cargo routes, establishing a self-controlled and reliable international air logistics system through innovative service models and expanded cargo collection capabilities.
Finally, the digital trade port will act as a crucial link to integrate these physical hubs. Zhejiang will accelerate the development of multimodal transport, promoting interconnectivity between sea, land, and air hubs. This includes implementing pilot programs like the "Sixth Port Area" model in Jinyi and through bill of lading systems, and expanding services such as "sea-rail combined plus sea express" and "river-sea direct plus Yangtze River rail". The province will also enhance digitalization with an upgraded "Four Ports" smart logistics cloud platform, build a large model for smart transport, and foster integrated logistics providers capable of offering door-to-door services. Through these coordinated efforts, Zhejiang aims to create a resilient, efficient, and intelligent international logistics supply chain that empowers global digital trade.