Quanzhou Port Rises with New Routes and New Exports

Quanzhou Port Rises with New Routes and New Exports 

Quanzhou, Fujian - At Quanzhou Port, container ships are loaded and prepared to set sail, carrying goods from Quanzhou to destinations worldwide.

Quanzhou Port, located on China’s southeastern Fujian Province, has long served as a major gateway along the Maritime Silk Road. Once hailed as one of the “largest ports in the East” during the Song Dynasty, it is now evolving into a key hub for China’s emerging export sectors, including new energy, electronics, and advanced manufacturing.

Quanzhou Port has demonstrated resilience and momentum, maintaining stable growth in foreign trade despite market headwinds. According to Quanzhou Customs, in the first half of 2025, Quanzhou’s foreign trade container throughput reached 83,400 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), a 16.74% year-on-year increase—the fastest growth rate among cities in Fujian. In 2024, the total added value of Quanzhou’s port-related economy surpassed 200 billion yuan (27.59 billion USD) for the first time, placing the city among China’s top-tier port economies alongside Shanghai and Guangzhou.

“New Routes” Mark Strategic Shifts

Amid tariff uncertainties and weakening demand in Western markets, “Quanzhou Port is placing greater emphasis on trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, with a strong focus on Southeast Asia, by leveraging our geographic advantage,” said Huang Jingsheng, operations director of Quanzhou Pacific Container Terminal Co., Ltd.

In recent years, Quanzhou Port has expanded its international shipping network, now linking 17 cities in countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, transforming from a regional port into a growing global logistics hub.

In April, the port launched direct container routes to Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - Laem Chabang Port, reducing transit time by approximately seven days compared to transshipment routes. This significantly lowers logistics costs and boosts trade efficiency with Southeast Asian countries.

Thailand, a key node on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, has seen closer trade ties with Quanzhou. In 2024, bilateral trade reached RMB 6.04 billion, up 6.6% year-on-year.

“New Trio” Exports Set Sail

Fueled by the rapid development of local industrial clusters, particularly in new energy and electronic information sectors, Quanzhou has seen a surge in export demand. 

In response, Quanzhou Port is accelerating its transformation from a traditional transit hub into a key export base for China’s strategic industries, supported by upgraded logistics infrastructure and innovative maritime services. With the launch of two new 100,000-ton container berths in its Shihu operation area in May, the port's annual capacity was expected to reach 3 million TEUs, strengthening its ability to support foreign trade routes and high-value-added product exports.

Seizing this momentum, Quanzhou Port achieved a historic breakthrough, facilitating its first-ever exports of China’s “New Trio” products from the port, namely solar panels, new energy vehicles (NEVs), and lithium batteries, which are the key indicators of the country’s advanced manufacturing drive.

In March, solar panels were exported from Quanzhou Port for the first time. In May, NEVs and lithium battery modules followed. By June, NEV components from BYD, a leading producer of NEVs in China, were shipped abroad via a sea-rail intermodal route, starting from Quanzhou.

“The NEV exports have opened new logistics corridors, helping relative inland industrial bases to reach global destinations,” Huang said.

Over the past two months alone, more than 300 TEUs of NEV products have been exported via Quanzhou Port, a clear indication of the port’s growing capacity to serve emerging sectors and its increasingly strategic role in China’s export ecosystem.