Hong Kong port needs a new lease of life in value-driven era

AI Summary

Hong Kong’s container throughput fell 5.1% year on year to 12.99 million TEUs in 2025, despite stronger exports amid shifts in global trade and tariff measures. The city’s first five-year plan aims to reposition its port as a value-driven maritime hub rather than focusing primarily on cargo volume.

Hong Kong’s surging exports amid recent global trade shifts and tariff measures are reason to celebrate. However, they have not reversed the decline in the city’s port’s container throughput, which hit 12.99 million 20-foot equivalent units in 2025, down 5.1 per cent year on year. To address public doubts over the city’s standing as an international shipping centre, Hong Kong’s first five-year plan seeks to transform the maritime hub from being throughput-driven to value-driven. The policy...