Xiamen Port in East China's Fujian province leverages its strength to build a world-class business environment. [Photo/VCG]

The port of Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, saw its annual container throughput surpass 11.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2020, a 2.54 percent year-on-year increase, according to statistics released by the port.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, the port has leveraged its strength to build a world-class business environment and saw growth in the June-Aug period of last year, with its container throughput in July hitting a record high and showing strong signs of economic recovery, according to a Xiamen Port official.

With the support of a stable industrial and supply chain, Fujian's cross-border e-commerce business experienced a boom last year, bringing about a surge in demand for cross-border logistics services. In light of these events, Xiamen Port began offering express shipping for cross-border e-commerce last September, which has greatly enhanced logistics efficiency and lowered delivery costs.

"Express shipping has been roaring over the past few months and the port is expected to see a 60,000-TEU increase in its container business every year," said a port official.

In order to promote the high-quality development of express shipping, Xiamen Port has rolled out an array of measures to reduce operating time and improve the port's clearance efficiency, which will inject strong momentum into the city's new dual-circulation development pattern.