Press Release for Media Briefing of the Shanghai Municipal Government on October 15, 2026

2026.10.16

At a media briefing on the North Bund Forum 2026 held on the morning of October 15, Gao Haiyun, second-level inspector at the Water Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, outlined China’s water transport development plans for the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Zhang Xin, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Transport, presented the overall program for the North Bund Forum 2026. Ma Xiaobin, deputy chief of Hongkou District; Tan Peng, a member of the Pudong New Area government’s Party leadership group; Liu Xiaodong, head of the Publicity Department of China Eastern Airlines Group; and Yin Ming, vice president of Shanghai Maritime University, also attended the briefing and answered questions from reporters.I.Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China’s shipping and aviation industry has made historic progress in implementing the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and advancing the goal of building China into a country with strong transport capabilities. China’s position as a major shipping and aviation nation has been further consolidated, the structure of its shipping and aviation capacity has continued to improve, and its shipping and aviation services have become more capable.The 15th Five-Year Plan period is critical to laying a solid foundation for achieving basic socialist modernization and making significant progress toward that goal. It is also a decisive period for completing the building of China into a country with strong transport capabilities. Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Transport has issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Water Transport Development. Aligned with the strategic goal of strengthening China’s transport sector and focused on improving the modern integrated transport system, the plan prioritizes high-quality development and the development of a modern water transport system. It calls for balancing development and security, as well as coordinating the development of inland water transport and international shipping. Key priorities include greater integration, enhanced safety, digital and intelligent transformation, and greener development. The plan sets out the following key tasks:1. Develop world-class ports. Optimize the functional layout of world-class port clusters, strengthen the capacity of international hub ports, improve the provision of public infrastructure, and accelerate the renewal and upgrading of existing facilities.2. Improve connectivity across the inland waterway network. Upgrade major cross-regional waterways and transport corridors, develop modern waterway networks in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta, and advance the construction of major waterways and corridors in a coordinated manner.3. Improve multimodal transport across rivers, seas and railways. Strengthen both physical connectivity and operational coordination in rail-water intermodal transport, improve river-sea shipping networks, shift the transport of bulk commodities over medium and long distances from road to water, and further expand containerization of suitable domestic cargo.4. Enhance water transport services. Strengthen the capabilities of shipping centers, particularly the Shanghai International Shipping Center; deepen integration between water transport and industrial and supply chains; optimize the composition of the shipping fleet; and promote the integration of water transport and tourism.5. Strengthen resilience and service support. Improve the safety and security of water transport infrastructure, strengthen intrinsic safety across the sector, and enhance maritime oversight and emergency response and rescue capabilities.6. Leverage digital technologies to advance water transport. Develop smart sensing networks for ports and waterways, accelerate the digital and intelligent upgrading of automated terminals, and promote the large-scale application of artificial intelligence.7. Reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in transport. Promote vessels powered by new and clean energy, upgrade water transport infrastructure to make it greener and more energy-efficient, and establish and improve standards for green and low-carbon water transport.8. Improve governance of the water transport sector. Improve the regulatory and policy framework, develop a unified and open water transport market, and strengthen the industry’s talent pool.Going forward, the Ministry of Transport will continue to develop a modern water transport system that is convenient and well-connected, cost-effective and efficient, green and resource-efficient, intelligent and advanced, and safe and reliable, providing strong support for China’s efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects. II.Progress in Developing Shanghai as an International Shipping Center Since the North Bund Forum 2025 The North Bund Forum 2025 was successfully held in Shanghai last October. The forum has provided an important platform for Shanghai to participate in global shipping and aviation governance and strengthen international exchanges and cooperation, and has become an annual flagship event for the global shipping and aviation industry. Over the past year, Shanghai has continued to build on the forum’s outcomes, advancing the integrated development of the international shipping center’s hard infrastructure and capacity, soft power, and emerging growth areas. These efforts have laid a solid foundation for a strong start to the 15th Five-Year Plan period.First, Shanghai has further strengthened its position as a global shipping and aviation hub. In terms of seaport, Phase II of the Luojing Port Area container terminal renovation has passed civil works acceptance and is expected to be completed by year-end, adding annual designed handling capacity of 1.4 million TEUs. China’s first cruise route with no fixed destination has launched in Shanghai, operated by the domestically built large cruise ship Adora Magic City. Market response has exceeded expectations. In term of airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport retained its top ranking for connectivity in the Asia-Pacific region. Shanghai also launched the world’s longest direct flight route, linking Shanghai, Auckland and Buenos Aires, filling a gap in direct air connections between Shanghai and major cities in South America.Second, Shanghai has continued to upgrade its high-end shipping services. In terms of financial and insurance services, the Green Ship Insurance Consortium has been expanded into the Green Shipping and Aviation Insurance Consortium, extending risk coverage beyond hull insurance to the entire shipping and aviation value chain. In terms of legal services, the Shanghai Shipping Legal Community released several initiatives, including guidelines for one-stop maritime dispute resolution and the filing of ad hoc arbitration cases. Shanghai also handled China’s first case combining maritime mediation with judicial confirmation.Third, digitalization and the green transition have accelerated. In terms of digital and smart operations, Shanghai Port has expanded electronic cargo release to include pulp and roll-on/roll-off vehicle shipments. The Shanghai Air Cargo Express platform has introduced direct apron pickup, cutting cargo collection application processing time by more than half compared with the previous offline process. Pudong International Airport has also opened an intelligent freight terminal in its western cargo area, adding 600,000 tons of annual cargo handling capacity. In terms of green and low-carbon development, Shanghai is accelerating the development of three international hubs for green marine fuel certification, trading and bunkering. A domestically developed certification system for green marine fuels, recognized internationally, has been launched in Shanghai. Green methanol bunkering is now available across the port’s major operating waters, connecting local production, storage and bunkering into an integrated supply chain. Shanghai’s LNG bunkering volumes rank among the world’s highest.Theme and Program of the North Bund Forum 2026In 2025, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative, calling for a more just and equitable global governance system. As the world undergoes profound changes not seen in a century, global shipping and aviation governance faces shared challenges as well as common opportunities. Addressing them will require coordinated action and a shared sense of responsibility, building resilience in the face of challenges and opening new paths amid change. Against this backdrop, the North Bund Forum 2026 will be held under the theme “Common Challenge, Shared Mission: Promoting the Resilient Development of Global Shipping and Aviation.” The forum will bring together Chinese and international participants to exchange views on the future of global shipping and aviation governance in a spirit of openness, inclusiveness and cooperation.The forum will take place on October 20-21 at the Grand Halls in North Bund, Hongkou District, Shanghai. It will be jointly hosted by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and the Ministry of Transport, continuing the arrangement of previous editions. The program will feature an opening ceremony and two main forums focusing on international shipping and international aviation, alongside five thematic forums covering maritime safety, finance and insurance, digitalization and smart technologies, green and low-carbon development, and judicial and arbitration services. More than 60 events are expected to be held, including the Shanghai Pudong International Shipping and Aviation Week and the Global Maritime Forum Annual Summit. The opening ceremony will feature speeches by the secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization and ministerial-level guests from various countries. A series of major outcomes will also be announced. The forum is expected to attract around 4,000 in-person attendances, with total participation across the forum and concurrent events projected to exceed 15,000, representing more than 50 countries and regions.This year’s forum aims to be a high-level international gathering that advances openness and cooperation, helps shape the future of the shipping and aviation industry, and builds global consensus.