Container throughput at Qingdao Port, a branch of Shandong Port Group reached 3.72 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first two months of this year, setting a new record high with an increase of 6.1 percent year-on-year, according to the latest figures released by the Ministry of Transport.

Container ships dock at the Qingdao Port, Shandong province. [Photo/IC]

Qingdao Port has been ramping up efforts to coordinate regular epidemic containment with high-quality development. In the context of the ongoing COVID-19 response, actions have been made to explore new drivers of economic growth in a bid to facilitate cross-border trade, keep industrial and supply chains secure and smooth, and promote steady and solid progress in regional economic development.

"Since March, the berths of Qianwan Port area have been operating round-the-clock, with as many as around 60 container ships berthing every day. It is always in the peak season," said Zhang Jun, deputy manager of Qingdao Port Qianwan Container Terminal Co.

As the global pandemic becomes more complicated, Qingdao Port, as the bridgehead of opening-up to the outside world, must always shoulder the responsibility of ensuring unblocked international passageways, said Zhang.

According to Zhang, the goods entering and exiting from Qingdao Port are not only bulk commodities such as crude oil, iron ore, rubber and grain, but also high value-added products such as machinery and equipment, automobiles and home appliances, as well as people's livelihood materials such as meat, aquatic products and fruits.

The imports and exports of these goods not only stabilize the industrial and supply chains, but also play an important role in the fight against the pandemic, said Zhang.