¡¡¡¡Given the favourable geographic location out of Tianjin Binhai New Area and Dongjiang Bonded Port Area, the planned international shipping centre at Tianjin Port is just waiting for all the shipping giants to pour in. Some obstacles to its success remain, however, with limited natural berth conditions as well as a currently inadequate hinterland economy. To explore to the advantages and discard the disadvantages, Tianjin Port is therefore in the pursuit of some substantial progress.
¡¡¡¡Early in 2008, the State Council approved an integrated, large-scale pilot reform program for Tianjin Binhai New Area. One role positioned for Binhai New Area is to develop into an international shipping and logistics centre in North China. Therefore, as the platform to undertake the course of development, Tianjin Port is facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges.

¡¡¡¡Reporter: 
¡¡¡¡What are the must-have factors to build Tianjin Binhai New Area into an international shipping centre in North China? What kind of policy support has been received from the Tianjin Municipal Government to encourage these factors?

¡¡¡¡Li Zhigang:
¡¡¡¡Dongjiang Bonded Port Area has already opened and this has laid the most important infrastructure foundations. Tianjin Binhai New Area is right on its way towards becoming a shipping centre, based on developments in these following aspects: constant port development, improvements to and integration of portside functions, portside industry expansion, plus growth in other ever-robust industries such as finance, training and education, trade, etc.
¡¡¡¡As for the policy, on April 1st this year, the Tianjin Port Regulations became the fourth local regulations to be officially implemented in China. It has made clear the ideas behind upgrading the capacity and services Tianjin Port provides to the regional economy. It is actually more than a port of Tianjin, but will head toward the areas around the Bohai Sea Rim, Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei altogether, extending into Northern China, or even the whole country¡¯s economic development.
¡¡¡¡Tianjin Port Regulations will be a mandate for the development of Tianjin Port. It will give Tianjin Municipal Government feasible norms to refer to, while port and shipping companies will also run within a legal framework under an open, fair and just environment.

¡¡¡¡Reporter:
¡¡¡¡Inland port development and extending port functions are regarded as two of the characteristics of the new regulations. Could you please tell us about the current cooperation between Tianjin and inland ports?

¡¡¡¡Li Zhigang:
¡¡¡¡At the moment, there are already four inland ports open for business: Beijing Chaoyang Inland Port, Shijiazhuang Inland Port, Henan Highway Inland Port and Baotou Inland Port. This year and in 2009, we are concentrating on cities like Shizuishan in Ningxia, Taiyuan, Datong, Urumqi, Lanzhou, Xi¡¯an, Xining, Chengdu, Dezhou, Bayannur in Inner Mongolia, Baoding, Yinchuan, Qiqihar, to pick up possible sites for eight new inland dry ports. To help them qualify, Tianjin Port has provided inland dry ports not only the policy but also better services.
¡¡¡¡Feedback from the hinterland shows that many places are willing to conduct cooperation projects. However, the hinterland on which Tianjin Port is based, particularly the central and western regions, is relatively backward in economic development. There are fewer suitable goods for container transport in import and export, which to some extent has restrained the inland ports from further developing.

¡¡¡¡Reporter:
¡¡¡¡The Dongjiang Bonded Area in Tianjin Port has already started customs operation. How will it influence Tianjin Port in becoming an international shipping centre?

¡¡¡¡Li Zhigang:
¡¡¡¡It has an essential role to play in upgrading port handling capacity, improving port function, accelerating Tianjin Binhai New Area to open up, and promoting international trade in the hinterland.
¡¡¡¡At the same time, the bonded area has successfully assisted mainland enterprises in transportation. It creates a very convenient condition for international goods in terms of flow and exports, especially flow of urgently-needed materials. The bonded area has further extended the logistics chain, promoting international trade for the hinterland, benefiting import and export enterprises. From the perspective of international transit, international logistics can make the bonded area a tax-free transit trade or transport base.

¡¡¡¡Reporter:
¡¡¡¡The State Council has defined Caofeidian Port as a distribution and collection hub for energy, ore and other bulk crude fuel. In the energy transport, is there any business in common between Caofeidian Port and Tianjin Port, or will there be any competition?

¡¡¡¡Li Zhigang:
¡¡¡¡It is necessary to have some reasonable competition and this is exactly the characteristics of the market economy. In such a circumstance, positive competition between ports is to promote the economic development, improve services and develop the port itself. In accordance with the country¡¯s strategic plan, all port resources are supposed to be further optimized and integrated. Tianjin Port and the neighboring ports will aim at the development of the Bohai Sea Rim in a common prosperity.

¡¡¡¡Reporter:
¡¡¡¡At present, what is the thorniest bottleneck for Tianjin Port¡¯s development?

¡¡¡¡Li Zhigang:
¡¡¡¡It is the gate-out channels. Now Tianjin Port has ranked one of the world¡¯s top ten ports, where the goods should be smoothly transported in and out through railways, highways and other channels.
¡¡¡¡While now on the port-out roads, run not only gate-out trucks, but also passing-by vehicles, and even various types of civil vehicles. There is a very great pressure. What we are working hard on is to as quickly as possible to implement the plan confirmed already to construct gate-out channels.

¡¡¡¡Reporter:
¡¡¡¡This year Tianjin Port targets at a 9-million-TEU container throughput. To achieve this goal, is there any evident pressure?

¡¡¡¡Li Zhigang:
¡¡¡¡We are relatively optimistic to achieve this goal. Tianjin Port is supported by the development and opening-up policy in Tianjin Binhai New Area. With rich resources from the hinterland, Tianjin Port will directly lead the progress in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, the Bohai Sea Rim, and even the Northwest China. Though comparatively underdeveloped the hinterland may be currently, the great potential says for itself. The northern region is under industrial restructuring, more high value-added products are produced to add to the cargo supply for containerized transport. To this end, Tianjin Port has a base with prominent future.