Prospects for coastal port development in 2024

2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of New China and is a critical year for the implementation of the “14th Five-Year Plan”. Based on the judgment of the domestic and foreign economic and trade situation and port development trends in 2024, the national economy will steadily move forward with quality improvement and increment. The main indicators of coastal port production in 2024 will generally maintain a steady growth trend, but in 2023 the high base will be Under the influence, the growth rate will decline compared with 2023. Port profits are under pressure due to the decline in cargo volume growth, but the industry will be proactive in changing methods, adjusting structure, improving quality, and increasing efficiency. Profits will remain stable overall, and investment in port construction will still maintain a steady growth trend. Promoting Chinese-style modernization is the biggest politics. The Central Economic Work Conference has put forward requirements for development in 2024, and plans for industry reform and high-quality development in the new era, but it is still necessary to pay close attention to the uncertainties faced by industry development. Revisions of major industry laws and regulations at home and abroad will have an impact on the long-term development of the industry. The construction of first-class ports is accelerating. The construction of green ports and smart ports is still an important aspect of port transformation and development. Funding guarantee for port public infrastructure construction still needs to be strengthened. At the same time, attention needs to be paid to the improvement of emerging cargo categories and services at the port.

Based on the judgment of the world economic and trade situation and my country's economic and trade development trends, taking into account the development characteristics of important industries such as coal, steel, electricity, petrochemicals, automobiles, and food, and combining the development trends and patterns of the ports themselves, it is comprehensively expected that the throughput of coastal ports in 2024 will increase by approximately 2.0%, the growth rate has declined compared with 2023. The full-year trend is expected to achieve a stable start in the first quarter. In the second quarter, under the influence of a higher base in the same period in 2023, the growth rate has slowed down. In the third and fourth quarters, port production will maintain a stable development trend.