On August 26, the Meitai, loaded with home appliances, electronic products, general chemicals and other goods, sounded its horn and departed from Longtan Port Area of Nanjing Port, marking the official launch of the Nanjing‑Philippines container route. This is another near‑sea shipping route to Southeast Asia in RCEP regions launched by Jiangsu Ocean Shipping company, following its routes to Thailand and Vietnam, Indonesia and East‑Indonesia, filling the gap of direct container routes from the Yangtze River to the Philippines.

As a core initiative of Jiangsu Port Group to deepen its presence in RCEP regions and open up new southbound logistics corridors for Southeast Asia, Jiangsu Ocean Shipping company will operate the Nanjing‑Philippines route by leveraging its well‑established shipping network connecting Indonesia, with Nanjing and Taicang as ports of origin. The maiden voyage will stop at Batangas Container Terminal in the Philippines, and calls at Manila and other ports will be added in due course to expand the cargo‑sourcing reach of the route.

In recent years, thoroughly implementing the initiatives to boost China’s strength in transportation and build a water-borne Jiangsu, Jiangsu Port Group has made every effort to support Jiangsu Ocean Shipping company in moving faster to grow into a leading domestic shipping enterprise, continuously building a denser shipping‑route network covering Southeast Asia, and steadily operating a number of premium near‑sea routes such as Thailand‑Vietnam, Indonesia and East‑Indonesia services. The launch of the Nanjing‑Philippines route has provided a link and smoothed the logistics between the Yangtze River and RCEP member economies. It will efficiently pool cargo from foreign‑trade enterprises in Jiangsu and the Yangtze River hinterland, and greatly cut logistics lead‑time and lower overall logistics costs, providing solid shipping support for trade between China and the Philippines and contributing to Jiangsu’s endeavour to build a two-way open hub with global appeal.