摘要: |
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has closely followed and reported on the transportation issues related to agricultural trade between the United States and China because efficient transportation is essential to improved trade between the two countries. As Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of China in mid-1997, this report reflects the ports status as one of China's own. But with Hong Kong receiving about 74 percent of U.S. containerized agricultural exports for the whole of China, the report in many cases separates out the Hong Kong traffic to better reveal the growing importance of more northern Chinese ports like Shanghai, Qingdao, Dalian, and Xingang. And because China's exports to the United States impact U.S. to China container rates and container availability, inbound trade volumes and rates are included in this report. From the perspective of the Chinese importer and the U.S. agricultural exporter, the ocean liner industry, composed of shipping lines like COSCO, Maersk-SeaLand, and Hanjin, is a vital link between U.S. farms and the Chinese consumer. Understanding which shipping firms are doing the majority of the business, how products move through Asia to China, at what level shipping firms price their services, and what can be done to lower shipping costs is essential to establishing long-term, profitable marketing operations. This report details how containers, the main mode of transporting high-valued and refrigerated agricultural products, move from the United States to China and how those services are priced. |