In the first half of this year, the Qianhai-Shekou Free Trade Zone in Shenzhen achieved a significant milestone with a total import and export value of 260.86 billion yuan ($36.34 billion), up 11.5 percent from the previous year. This figure represented about two-thirds of Guangdong’s total foreign trade within its pilot free trade zones.
A view of the Mawan Smart Port [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
China Merchants Group (CMG) has played a key role in driving the zone’s development, boosting foreign trade and strengthening Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation through its diverse businesses and innovative practices.
At Mawan Smart Port, operated by China Merchants Port under the group, the deep integration of 5G technologies and intelligent equipment is setting new efficiency benchmarks. As the first 5G-enabled green and low-carbon port in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the “Mawan Model” features end-to-end innovations such as “pre-clearance + smart diversion + adaptive inspection,” enabling the Shekou Port area to handle over 8.19 million TEUs in foreign trade container throughput in the first half — up 10.7 percent year on year. The port also introduced China’s first customs inspection robot powered by the DeepSeek-R1 large model, achieving real-time regulatory data comparison within seconds. In addition, new logistics models and next-generation smart lock technology were utilized, enabling full-time automatic container transfers across Shekou’s three major terminals.
China Merchants Bonded Logistics Co., Ltd. developed a cross-border supply chain linking global sourcing, Qianhai consolidation, and direct delivery to Hong Kong. As a result, trade with Hong Kong rose by 90.2 percent to 59.24 billion yuan, making it Qianhai’s top trading partner.
The Prince Bay K11 ECOAST project, co-developed by China Merchants Shekou Holdings and Hong Kong’s New World Development, began phased trial operations in April. In July, Shenzhen became the first Chinese city to launch international cruise transfer services, allowing foreign passengers without a Chinese visa to transit for up to 24 hours.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
