The recent years have witnessed the leapfrog development of shipping services along the Yangtze River. Shipping volume recorded by trunk routes of the river increased from 1.03 billion tons in 2007 to 1.8 billion tons in 2012, up 75%. The number of 10,000-ton berths rose by 166 from 255 in 2007 to 421 in 2012, and that of ports with a throughput of over 100 million tons from four in 2007 to ten in 2012. So far, the waterway shipping volume and freight turnover registered by the Yangtze River system have taken up 20% and 60% of China’s total, with 85% of thermal coal, 83% of iron ores and 90% of materials for foreign trade shipped along the river. Shipping services along the river have contributed RMB 120 billion directly and over RMB 2 trillion indirectly to the GDP every year. More than 2 million people are involved in shipping services along the river, coupled with indirect employment for over 10 million.

On the strength of the extensive economic hinterland, shipping services along the Yangtze River, a “golden waterway” leading to “golden beaches”, have provided staunch support for riverside economic and social development and, catering for coastal and international markets, functioned as an effective carrier for the development of export-oriented economy. Along the river we can now find six regions designated by the central government for strategic development, three shipping centers in Shanghai, Wuhan and Chongqing, and three city groups, one extending from Chengdu to Chongqing, the other two forming a triangle in the lower and middle reaches respectively. In early 2011, the Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Shipping Services along the Yangtze River and Other Inland Waterways was issued by the State Council, upgrading inland waterway transport as a national strategy.