The shipping capacity on the mainstream of the Yangtze River, China’s longest waterway, reached 795 million tons last year, rating one of the most tapped rivers among the world’s inland rivers. The handling capacity of ports along the river’s mainstream reached 650 million tons in 2005. The total throughput included 78 million tons of cargo in foreign trade and 2.6 million TEUs of containers, said JinYihua, director of the Yangtze River Navigation AffairsAdministration. The throughput on the mainstream was only 400 million tons in 2000. The Chinese government attaches great importance to improving the navigation con- ditions of the Yangtze. Expanding navigation on the river has been prospering areas along the mighty river. Currently, the Yangtze is flanked with metallurgical, power, chemical, auto, building materials and machinery industrial belts, along with more than 20 state-level economic and technological, and high-tech development zones. The ship- ping capacity of the river’s mainstream is expected to amount to 860 million tons this year, with the handling capacity of its ports topping 750 million, including 90 million tons of cargo in foreign trade and 3.1 million TEUs of containers, according to its navigation authorities. Navigation on the Yangtze is easier as the navigation course is wider and deeper thanks to water storage in the Three Gorges reservoir. With improving navigation conditions, ships will sail on the Yangtze more safely and their speed can increase by about 20 percent, adding navigation costs would be cut by 30 percent for per ton-kilometer. Seven provinces and two municipalities along the Yangtze make up 41 percent of China’s total economic overall strength and the shipping capacity on the Yangtze accounts for 80 percent of the total shipping capacity of China’s inland rivers, according to statistics from the Ministry of Communications. The Three Gorges Project was launched in 1993, and was scheduled to be completed by 2009. The Three Gorges Project, including a 2309-m-long, 1
