Competitiveness of China's Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port: resource-based and institutional perspectives

Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port is a crucial window connecting the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, an international passage to ASEAN. This study attempts to take the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port as the object of study, explore its port competitiveness from the perspectives of resource theory and institutional environment. This study used two sets of data which are official data of thirteen ports in 2010-2016 years and the first hand data collected from the port operators by the self-reported questionnaire.First of all, based on governmental data of thirteen ports including Beibu Gulf Port, Shanghai Port, Yantian Port and etc.from year 2010 to year 2016, the port competitiveness of Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port is comprehensively analyzed by making empirical test about the influence of port resources and institutional environment on port competitiveness, combining with the questionnaire and other first-hand materials. Second, to further valide and explain the findings from official data, this study used self-reported questionnaires to collect first-hand data from the port operators. Analyses of the two sets of data reveal the following findings. 1) the overall competitiveness of Beibu Gulf port is weak; 2) Beibu Gulf port competitiveness and port throughput are positively correlated; 3) the port resources of Beibu Gulf have not all significantly positively affecting the port competitiveness; 4) the institutional environment of Beibu Gulf port has not been able to regulate the relationship between port resources and port competitiveness; 5) the institutional environment of Beibu Gulf port has a positive regulating effect on port competition and port throughput. This study proposes relevant policies and suggestions to improve Beibu Gulf port competitiveness.O Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port é um importante porto de entrada para a Rota da Seda Marítima do Século XXI e o Cinturão Económico da Rota da Seda, além de ser um portal internacional para a ASEAN. Este artigo tenta usar o Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port como objeto de pesquisa para explorar a competitividade portuária do porto de Guangxi Beibu Gulf na perspectiva da teoria dos recursos e do ambiente institucional. Este estudo usou dois conjuntos de dados. Dados em primeira mão de operadores portuários coletados por dados oficiais e questionários auto-relatados para 13 portos para 2010-2016. Primeiro, usando os dados oficiais de 13 portos em Beibu Gulf, Shanghai Port e Yantian Port de 2010 a 2016, foi construído um modelo de análise empírica do impacto dos recursos portuários e do ambiente de políticas portuárias na competitividade portuária. Com base no questionário e em outros dados de primeira mão, foi realizada uma análise abrangente da competitividade do porto de Guangxi Beibu Gulf. Em segundo lugar, a fim de aprofundar o estudo e explicar os resultados dos dados oficiais, este estudo utilizou um questionário auto-relatado para coletar dados em primeira mão dos operadores portuários. Os resultados da análise dos dois conjuntos de dados revelaram: 1) A competitividade global do Porto do Golfo de Beibu é fraca; 2) A competitividade do Beibu Gulf Port está positivamente correlacionada com o rendimento do porto; 3) As variáveis dos recursos portuários do Beibu Gulf não afetaram de forma significativa e positiva a competitividade portuária; 4) O ambiente institucional do porto de Beibu Gulf não ajustou significativamente positivamente a relação entre os recursos portuários e a competitividade portuária; 5) O ambiente institucional do Beibu Gulf Port tem um efeito de ajuste positivo na relação entre a concorrência portuária e o rendimento do porto. Com base nisso, este estudo propõe recomendações políticas relevantes para melhorar a competitividade do porto do Golfo de Beibu

A longitudinal analysis of port systems in asia

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Optimal transit corridors for Ethiopia

Background: Ethiopia has been landlocked since Eritrea, a former province, gained independence. Its imports and exports by sea are now sent via neighbouring coastal states, mainly Djibouti, and it needs to ensure sustainable access to multiple transit corridors. Objective: This article aims to evaluate alternative transit corridors to Ethiopia in terms of basic port infrastructure, and logistics costs. The findings provide insights to inform policy on securing reliable maritime access to the country. Method: This study adopts a case study approach by using secondary data to evaluate alternative transit corridors. Following a critical review of theoretical and empirical literature, descriptive statistics are presented using tables, graphs and charts. Results: Low-cost, high-capacity and high-frequency global maritime freight trade is easier through Djibouti than through Mombasa in Kenya or Port Sudan, owing to its better liner shipping connectivity. Thus, Ethiopia should continue to import containerised cargo through the Port of Djibouti. However, direct access to the sea is also important for national defence and security. Conclusion: Ethiopia should therefore secure access through multiple ports to safeguard national security, regardless of economic feasibility. This can be realised by directing break-bulk, dry bulk and petroleum products through ports in Sudan and Kenya. In addition, particular emphasis should be given to seaports closest to the country’s economic centre, such as Berbera in Somaliland and Asseb and Massawa in Eritrea. Keywords: landlocked; transit corridor; infrastructure development; container shipping; dry bulk shipping; logistics cost.publishedVersio

Port competitiveness in North East Asia : an integrated fuzzy approach to expert evaluations

Despite the fact that the Northeast Asia (NEA) region, which had four of the top five and 20 of the top 30 container ports in the world in 2003, can be regarded as holding a central position in liner shipping and the handling of container cargo volumes, very little research has been done into the evaluation of its port competitiveness (EPC). For this reason, the EPC in NEA can be regarded as a problematic and urgent issue to be solved, and worthy of academic attention. From this aspect, this research set out to attempt to address the above issue by means of utilizing expert knowledge. However, the EPC contains problems of complex multipleattributes and multiple-hierarchies (CMAMH). In addition, difficulties concerning certain characteristics of evaluation such as complexity, uncertainty and ambiguity are also involved. To deal with such problems, in this research, the employment of integrated fuzzy evaluation (IFE) as a methodology was decided upon. As a result of the adaptation of the methodology, certain indications from this research to the theory and practice for container ports have emerged and are clearly identifiable. With regard to theory, this study has contributed to theoretical development significantly in four ways. First, the factors and taxonomy of port competitiveness for the container ports in NEA have been provided for the first time. Second, this is the first integrated approach for the EPC in NEA, the most competitive area in the world. Third, this research was also the first to attempt extracting critical weak points and/or influential factors affecting current port competitiveness. Finally, the adoption of IFE made it possible for the first time to uncover the interactive relationships between the competing container ports. In terms of practice, this research has also provided certain contributions of utmost importance. First of all, the study has provided a suggestion for the most recent port ranking in respect of port competitiveness. Moreover, changes in competitiveness power, which are dynamically and interactively affected by the relationship between the ports, have been successfully estimated and suggested. Thus, such changes in the competitiveness in NEA can now be easily forecasted by port actors

A Study on the Development of Regional Marine Industry in China

The 21st century is a century belonging to the oceans, and the ocean plays a vital role in economic and social development. China is rich in marine resources, mainly distributed among eleven marine coastal provinces and cities. With the constant development of the ocean, the marine industries grow rapidly. In China, the “marine industry” refers to the production of developing, utilizing and protecting the ocean, which is also divided into a primary marine industry, a secondary marine industry, and a tertiary marine industry (China Marine Statistical Yearbook, 2017). To study the development of regional marine industries will drive the growth of the regional land economy. As there is a strong correlation between the development of the marine industry and the creation of shore-based organization, it is of great significance to analyze the current status of the regional marine industry in China, which has profound effect to theory and practice for exploring the future development of the regional marine industry. Against this background, this study firstly defines and analyzes the meaning of the marine industry and marine industrial competitiveness by combing the previous literature, and analyzing the overview of regional marine industry and the development of the three marine industries in China. Secondly, this study compares the development of regional marine industry from the perspective of competitiveness and establishes the evaluation index system which includes six first-class targets and sixteen second-class targets. Through MATLAB software, the entropy method is applied to evaluate the competitiveness of regional marine industries. Then, disparities found in regional marine industrial development are analyzed for their reasons. Thirdly, this study establishes the panel data model to analyze the factors influencing the development of regional marine industries in China. Regional gross ocean products (GROP) represent the dependent variable whilst the labor factor, capital factor, technological factor, and environmental factor represent the independent variables. This study also compares these factors, deemed as key influencing elements for the regional development of the three marine industries and the international competency. In general, this study gives the conclusions from two perspectives. On the one hand, there are development disparities in the regional marine industry in China which are seen by comparing the regional marine industrial competitiveness. It is shown that Guangdong, Shandong, and Shanghai have stronger competitive advantages. On the other hand, Guangxi, Hebei and Hainan lack competitive advantages. In addition, marine economic capacity, marine human resources, and marine technology occupy major shares in the evaluation of regional marine industrial competitiveness. Additionally, this study finds that labor, technology, capital, and environment have an impact on the development of the regional marine industries. Labor (that is the ocean-related employed), technology, research funds (one of the capital factors), and marine pollution treatments (one of the environmental factors) have a significant positive influence on development of regional marine industry. At the same time, these selected factors each affect the regional development of China’s three marine industries and international competency to a different extent. Combining the actual development of regional marine industries in China with the results of empirical analyses, this study puts forward suggestions to enhance the development of the regional marine industries in China.Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Background of Research 1 1.2 Purposes of Research 2 1.3 Methodology 3 1.4 Outline of Research 4 Chapter 2 Basic Concepts and Literature Review 6 2.1 Basic Concepts 6 2.1.1 Marine industry 6 2.1.2 Industrial competitiveness 8 2.1.3 Industrial cluster 10 2.2 Literature Review 11 2.2.1 Literature review on the competitiveness of marine industry 11 2.2.2 Literature review on the development of marine industry 17 Chapter 3 The Development of Chinese Marine Industry 26 3.1 The Current Situation of Chinese Marine Industry System 26 3.2 The Development of Chinese Regional Marine Industries 28 3.2.1The division of Chinese marine regions 28 3.2.2 The marine industry distribution in regions 30 3.3 Structure of the Chinese Marine Industry 35 3.3.1 Chinese primary marine industry 35 3.3.2 Chinese secondary marine industry 36 3.3.3 Chinese tertiary marine industry 42 3.3.4 Obstacles of China’s three marine industries 44 Chapter 4 A Comparative Analysis on Regional Marine Industry in China 49 4.1 Factors Influencing the Marine Industrial Competitiveness 49 4.2 The Evaluation Index System 55 4.2.1 The purpose of the establishment of the index system 55 4.2.2 The principles of the establishment of index system 56 4.2.3 The establishment of the evaluation index system 59 4.3 Empirical Analysis 65 4.3.1 The selection of evaluation methods 65 4.3.2 Data source 69 4.3.3 Results 70 4.4 Summary 92 Chapter 5 Empirical Tests for the Development of Regional Marine Industries in China 95 5.1 The Selection of Variables and Data Source 96 5.1.1 The selection of variables 96 5.1.2 Data source 99 5.2 Empirical Tests 101 5.2.1 Regression estimation of regional marine industry (GROP) 101 5.2.2 Regression estimation of primary marine industry 108 5.2.3 Regression estimation of secondary marine industry 110 5.2.4 Regression estimation of tertiary marine industry 112 5.2.5 Regression estimation on international competency 115 5.3 Summary 116 Chapter 6 Conclusions 120 6.1 Research Findings 120 6.2 Implications 121 6.3 Further Study 123 References 124Docto