October 25, 2012
China's international aquatic centre to boost ASEAN seafood trade
In order to strengthen business ties with Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, the South China International Aquatic Trade Centre in Zhanjiang will soon host offices for these Southeast Asian countries.
The offices, to be set up in the second and third construction phases within the centre, will accommodate government agencies, chambers of commerce and companies from those countries. The offices will host business events to promote the trade of seafood products from Southeast Asian countries.
Launched in 2010, the centre is designed to maximise the benefits of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area by providing a one-stop shop for trading aquatic products from Association of Southeast Asian Nations members and South China.
It is recognised as a food safety demonstration centre by the Bureau of Import and Export Food Safety under the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China. It includes a centre for supplying aquatic products to Hong Kong, a joint inspection centre for import and export, a product testing centre, third-party logistics management facilities and a number of bank branches.
The centre covers an area of 33 hectares, with facilities in the first phase capable of producing 1,000 tonnes of ice and processing 100 tonnes of aquatic products daily.
In terms of government policies, Western Guangdong has been tasked by the provincial government with the mission of becoming the spearhead in cooperation with the Beibu Bay region, southwest China and ASEAN. With the launch of the China-ASEAN FTA in January 2010, tariffs on numerous products traded between the two were eliminated.
Zhanjiang is rich in maritime resources, with 99,000 hectares of shoal, 557,000 hectares of shallow sea area, 520 types of fish, 547 types of shellfish and 28 types of shrimp with economic value. It ranks among the top cities in Guangdong in terms of aquatic product output, accounting for two-thirds of the sea cultured pearls in the country and 40% of the prawn output in Guangdong.
Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products Co is the only company on the Chinese mainland registered for supplying live shrimp to Hong Kong. It sources shrimp material in large quantities from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia to be processed and exported to the US.
