Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port: Leading the Cold-Chain Blue Ocean Market, Supporting the Belt and Road Initiative

　　"Our mission is to ensure that people have access to fresh, affordable, and conveniently available food options. The 'Belt and Road' initiative has created an unprecedentedly vast platform for Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port, enabling the healthy, cyclical growth of the entire industry chain while fostering collaborative development across related sectors. This, in turn, will help boost incomes and improve living standards for communities along the Belt and Road routes—this is the promising future ahead for Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port, and we are fully equipped to embrace this significant historical responsibility," said Qiu Xinhang, Chairman of Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port. He added that, as Zhengzhou accelerates its development as a world-class, integrated transportation hub, the logistics port will strengthen its partnership with the city’s railway system, aiming to establish Zhengzhou as a key railway-based cold-chain hub along the Belt and Road, as well as a major distribution center for frozen products and a regional冷链物流 (cold-chain logistics) hub in China. Frozen goods and cold-chain services are set to become a new hallmark of Zhengzhou City."

　　Henan boasts significant advantages in "major hubs" and "large-scale logistics."

　　Over the past five years of participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, Henan Province has clearly defined its strategic positioning: to become a vital, multi-modal transportation hub and a leading trade, logistics, and commerce center along the Belt and Road; a key regional platform for collaborative partnerships within the New Eurasian Land Bridge Economic Corridor; and a premier gateway for inland China to embrace global openness. With its iconic "Mi-shaped" high-speed rail network, world-class international airport, the bustling Zhengzhou-based China-Europe freight trains connecting continents, and rapidly growing e-commerce activities—today, the land, air, and digital Silk Roads are advancing hand-in-hand. As a result, Henan is steadily solidifying its status as a major transportation and logistics hub, attracting an increasing flow of people, goods, capital, and information—and drawing these vital currents toward the heart of central China.

　　In 2013, the China-Europe Railway Express (Zhengzhou) launched the "Land Silk Road" connecting Zhengzhou, China, with Hamburg, Germany. As of now, the service has ramped up to an impressive schedule of "eight round trips per week," making it the only China-Europe train offering frequent, fully loaded, and balanced round-trip operations. To date, the train has completed more than 1,000 round trips in total.

　　Since the launch of the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg cargo air route, Zhengzhou has emerged as the hub of an expanding global air freight network, seamlessly connecting China’s central inland region with the heartland of Europe. Today, the Zhengzhou-Luxembourg "Air Silk Road" spans three continents—Europe, America, and Asia—linking over 100 cities across more than 23 countries. Meanwhile, cargo volumes have surged dramatically: from 14,000 tons in 2014 to 107,000 tons in 2016, and further climbing to 147,000 tons in 2017. Each year, the growth rate has remained robust, exceeding 40%, solidifying Zhengzhou’s pivotal role as a key Asia-Pacific consolidation, distribution, and logistics hub.

　　As Henan moves toward its goal of "buying globally and selling globally," the province is actively fostering a robust cross-border e-commerce ecosystem. It is also vigorously advancing the construction of the China (Zhengzhou) Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone, successfully establishing an "Online Silk Road." Currently, Henan's bonded logistics center has attracted over 1,000 cross-border e-commerce enterprises. According to data released by the Henan Provincial Development and Reform Commission, in the first quarter of this year, both the bonded import model for cross-border e-commerce shopping and the direct export model experienced rapid growth. In the first three months, cross-border e-commerce imports and exports reached 2.436 million orders, with a total value of 300 million yuan—representing increases of 4.2 times and 4.9 times, respectively, compared to the same period last year.

　　"The 'Great Hub' has laid a solid foundation for Henan to accelerate its development of a robust 'Great Logistics' system. Henan's logistics industry is showing strong growth momentum, with key sectors such as international multimodal transport, cold-chain logistics, express delivery logistics, and e-commerce logistics rapidly advancing. At the same time, the overall quality of logistics operations continues to improve, delivering significant cost reductions—factors that are effectively boosting the region's steady and healthy economic growth. The China (Henan) Pilot Free Trade Zone has prominently highlighted its logistics hub strengths, and just one year after its establishment, it has already achieved remarkable progress in multimodal transport. As a result, the province’s total foreign trade volume has been steadily surging, while the business environment continues to improve. These developments are propelling Henan toward becoming the nation’s fastest-growing and most efficient international logistics hub for multimodal transport. Additionally, the "Belt and Road" Logistics Comprehensive Service Platform, launched in January this year within Zhengzhou’s free trade zone, has further amplified Henan’s advanced integrated transportation network advantages, spurring innovation and growth in the logistics sector. This initiative is also set to enhance support for cross-border e-commerce, ultimately elevating Henan’s global openness and competitiveness."

　　Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Products Logistics Port: A People-Benefiting Model Project for Non-Public Sector Cold-Chain Logistics Nationwide

　　The proactive response to the nation's major policies and guidelines, coupled with the active implementation of key strategic decisions, has given rise to Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Products Logistics Port—a critical cold-chain logistics project designed to benefit the people.

　　As Chinese residents' demand for fresh food continues to grow, frozen foods have become an indispensable part of daily life for consumers—especially urban dwellers. Currently, China’s cold-chain logistics and cold-storage industries are still in their growth phase; per capita cold-storage capacity remains at just 1/5 the level of the United States, leaving vast room for future development. In line with the Henan Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government’s strategic initiatives for transformative development, Henan will vigorously push forward with a major effort to revitalize its logistics sector in 2018. This includes accelerating the implementation of 20 key logistics projects, such as the Zhengzhou International Cold-Chain Logistics Hub, launching benchmarking initiatives for cold-chain logistics enterprises, and supporting leading companies in building specialized cold-chain supply chain service platforms.

　　Logistics Port Cold Storage

　　After more than five years of construction, Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port has become the largest market in China's central and western regions, integrating seafood, freshwater products, livestock and poultry items, quick-frozen foods, as well as warehousing, trading, and processing services. It also serves as an advanced cold-chain, warehousing, and logistics hub for the entire central and western region, with its trade activities extending to over 20 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, including Henan, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Chongqing. The first phase of the project included the construction of an 180,000-ton cold storage facility, which was later expanded by an additional 70,000 tons due to rapidly growing market demands and operational needs—significantly boosting the port’s capacity to handle food refrigeration services. Since its launch, the first-phase project has attracted more than 1,500 merchants, generating an annual commodity turnover of nearly 100 billion yuan and creating over 100,000 jobs in related industries. As a pioneer in seamlessly integrating into the Belt and Road Initiative while closely aligning with regional livelihood projects, the port has played a vital role in driving economic and social development, making outstanding contributions to the broader community.

　　"Our mission is to ensure that people have access to fresh, affordable, and conveniently available food options. The 'Belt and Road' initiative has created an unprecedentedly vast platform for Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port, enabling the healthy, cyclical growth of the entire industry chain while fostering collaborative development across related sectors. This, in turn, will help boost incomes and improve living standards for communities along the Belt and Road routes—this is the promising future ahead for Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port, and we are fully equipped to embrace this significant historical responsibility," said Qiu Xinhang, Chairman of Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port. He added that, as Zhengzhou accelerates its development as a world-class, integrated transportation hub, the logistics port will strengthen its partnership with the city’s railway system, aiming to establish Zhengzhou as a key railway-based cold-chain hub along the Belt and Road, as well as a major distribution center for frozen products and a regional冷链物流 (cold-chain logistics) hub in China. Frozen goods and cold-chain services are set to become a new hallmark of Zhengzhou City.

　　Building a comprehensive logistics network system

　　Bathing in the favorable winds of the Belt and Road Initiative, Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port is now building a comprehensive, multi-dimensional logistics network system. The port continues to expand its reach, already establishing near-complete coverage of China’s major import and export ports—and has successfully transitioned from a point-based approach to a more interconnected, networked layout. Its land-based logistics network aligns seamlessly with the Maritime Silk Road, enabling seamless cargo transportation from Lianyungang westward through Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Xi'an, Lanzhou, and Urumqi, ultimately connecting to Central Asia and European countries. Meanwhile, the maritime logistics network leverages key ports like Beihai and Qinzhou in Guangxi—historical starting points of the ancient Maritime Silk Road—to facilitate efficient trade flows toward Southeast Asian nations.

　　Qiu Xinhang, Chairman of Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port, and Wei Chenghui, Chairman of the Board of Singapore's First Food Group, signed a strategic cooperation agreement.

　　Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port has partnered with Singapore's First Group and Singapore Global Holdings Group to establish Tianjin JinSan International Logistics Co., Ltd. in Tianjin. Leveraging the port advantages of Tianjin Port, China's largest comprehensive port in Northern China, the company will integrate land and sea transportation channels to enable multimodal transport solutions. At the same time, it will build a cold-chain logistics supply chain along with a fully integrated, real-time information platform. By pioneering innovative cold-chain logistics models, the company aims to elevate its cold-chain technology and IT capabilities, driving the entire cold-chain logistics sector toward higher-quality, premium-level growth.

　　In recent years, Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port has experienced rapid growth, with its annual transaction volume consistently hitting new highs—surpassing 100 billion yuan in 2017. Building on its efforts to expand business scale and enhance market competitiveness, the port is now actively focusing on developing a cold-chain logistics and financial supply chain infrastructure. To further bolster this initiative, the logistics port has established a comprehensive partnership with the Henan Branch of the Bank of Communications, paving the way for stronger financial support services around the port. This collaboration aims to deliver high-quality financial solutions to all merchants and traders from across China.

　　Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port has reached a preliminary strategic cooperation agreement with UU Paoting, the big-data-driven sharing economy platform. Leveraging the logistics port as its platform, UU Paoting will offer timely delivery services of various seafood and livestock products to consumers within Zhengzhou city, while also providing logistics port merchants with more efficient, cost-effective, and high-quality services.

　　Researchers from the Development Research Center of the State Council, including Li Guoqiang, Honorary Director of Guosheng Think Tank, and other think tank experts, conducted a field study at the Central China Aquatic Products Logistics Port.

　　Li Guoqiang, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council and honorary director of the Guosheng Think Tank, who visited Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port for research, believes that the port’s development is closely aligned with the Belt and Road Initiative. Against the backdrop of China’s ongoing implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, the external environment is providing strong support for the logistics port’s growth, while its development direction also aligns perfectly with national policy guidelines. Li Guoqiang expressed confidence that, anchored firmly in the Belt and Road framework, the Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port is poised to achieve robust momentum in the years ahead.

　　It is reported that the "Henan Zhongyuan Aquatic Product Logistics Port" project has been included in the dynamic project database of the "Belt and Road" Cultural Exchange and Economic Development Task Force. Xu Yunfeng, Secretary-General of the task force and Executive Director of Guosheng Think Tank, believes that the project holds significant practical importance for Henan's goal of "building a logistics channel hub connecting domestic and international markets, with influence spanning East, Central, and West China," and will make a unique contribution to the broader "Belt and Road" initiative.