Tianjin Port, the largest port in north China, aims at 270 million tons of freight traffic in 2007 to conform with rise of the city's Binhai New Area.

 

It also aims at 7 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of container turnover, said Yu Rumin, president of the Tianjin Port (Group) Co. Ltd.

 

The Binhai New Area, a coastal area, plans to become an international shipping center and an international logistics center in north China.

 

From January through Dec. 18 last year, Tianjin Port had recorded cargo throughput of 250.2 million tons. The full year figure is expected to reach 255 million tons, up 6.3 percent year-on-year.

 

The port's container turnover is expected to reach 5.9 million TEUs in 2006, up 22.9 percent year-on-year.

 

The Binhai New Area, about 120 kilometers to the southeast of Beijing, is a national pilot reform base listed in the country's development plan for the 2006-2010 period. Upon completion, it will cover an area of 2,270 square kilometers.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2007)