1. A  NEW shipping route you probably did not know!
Yunnan becomes a new transit point for cargo from China to Europe.
With the RCEP coming into effect in 2022, Yunnan is particularly well positioned to connect China, Southeast Asia, and Europe. The China-Myanmar railroad line provides the opportunity for this plan. In the future, goods from other cities could be transported by rail or road to Yunnan, then by train to Myanmar, then to the Indian Ocean, and finally to other European countries. This will significantly reduce freight costs, distances and transit times.

2.  Ocean shipping rates keep dropping.
Currently, container freight rates from China to Europe continue to decline. The freight rate from Shanghai to Europe was 5166 USD last week, a weekly decrease of 250 USD (or 3.81%). The falling rates are mainly due to covid prevention measures, high inflation, and oversupply of vessels.
Industry experts predict that freight rates will gradually decline in the coming months. Eventually, however, they will stabilize at a much higher level than before the epidemic.

3.  Military drills at Taiwan Strait led some seas to announce shipping bans.
Following a 3-day military exercise in the Taiwan Strait, some sea areas are still banned from navigation, and some areas will be closed for up to a month from August 8 to September 8.
It is estimated that nearly half of the world’s container ships and 88% of large container ships passed through the Taiwan Strait in the first 7 months of this year. In the near future, ships will have to be rerouted, causing delays. The bans may cause disruptions to global supply chains.

4. Workers at the UK container port of Felixstowe plan an 8-day strike over wages.
More than 1,900 workers at the Port of Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container port, are planning an eight-day strike later this month over dissatisfaction with wages. The Port of Felixstowe handles about 4 million containers a year, accounting for nearly half of the U.K.’s container trade. The strike is expected to affect 40% of UK container imports.

5.  Trains from China to Europe.
China is trying to expand border crossing capacity at major rail ports (building more transshipment channels and checkpoints, renovating infrastructures, etc.). In the first seven months of this year, the average daily cargo volume at the western (Alashankou, Horgos), middle (Erlianhot) and eastern ports (Manzhouli, Suifenhe) increased by 18.3%, 17.7% and 36.5%, respectively, compared to 2020.

6.  Chinese domestic logistics.
The Chinese Ministry of Transport stressed that it is determined to prevent the problem of logistical disruptions. The main measures are to free up routes, support shipping companies and innovate new logistics models.

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