The Chinese container ship Xin Ming Zhou 98 is set to depart from the Hai-Tian Container Terminal of Dongdu Port Area at Xiamen Port in Xiamen, Fujian province on Jan 10. [Photo by Wang Xieyun/WeChat account: touzixiamen]

The Chinese container ship Xin Ming Zhou 98 departed from the Hai-Tian Container Terminal of Dongdu Port Area at Xiamen Port in Xiamen, Fujian province on Jan 10, marking the opening of the port's first new shipping route this year.

As the new shipping route links ports in the member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership such as China, Vietnam, and Thailand, it is also recognized as Xiamen Port's first RCEP route since the RCEP agreement took effect on Jan 1.

As the world's largest free-trade deal, the RCEP agreement covers roughly 30 percent of the world's population, economic aggregate, and trade volume.

Xiamen Port's opening of a new route 10 days after the RCEP agreement took effect shows its ability to develop a world-class business environment.

In addition, the route belongs to the Silk Road Maritime, China's first Belt and Road international comprehensive logistics service platform that focuses on shipping.

Both the RCEP agreement and the Silk Road Maritime aim to build a new international trade and shipping service platform featuring standardized services, convenient operation, and intelligent management, said Li Nan, deputy general manager of the operating entity of the Silk Road Maritime.