Blog

In the pre-container era, the re-organization of production was virtually impossible to sustain due to high transportation costs. These acted as trade barriers in a fashion very similar to high tariffs on imports. As the transportation costs associated with the globalization of production declined, however,...

02 July, 2015 /

China’s push to develop port infrastructure was first manifest in August of 1980 when Shenzhen became the first area in China to be designated by the central government a special economic zone that could accept foreign direct investment. Shenzhen was chosen because of its proximity...

01 July, 2015 /

It’s a widespread notion that China’s state-owned companies are so powerful that they determine the country’s economic success and spearhead its global ambitions. While it’s true that state monopolies do exist in almost all key sectors (it’s a “socialist market economy” after all), and the...

26 June, 2015 /

Bennathan and Walters have argued that though ports may be working under diverse conditions, they are either functioning under the European (Continental) Doctrine or under the Anglo-Saxon Doctrine. Under the Continental Doctrine the port is viewed as part of the social infrastructure. Its value is...

25 June, 2015 /

Flynn and Lee’s conceptual model of the Asian Port Doctrine helps explain the successful development of the top ranking container ports in Asia during the past four decades. Their research provides a new model for the role of government as a third approach—in addition to...

25 June, 2015 /

Today, China leads the world in port infrastructure investment and thus, most significantly, displays elements of the Asian Doctrine. Its container infrastructure sustains an endless stream of the exports that are the basis for its growing gross domestic product—a figure that has increased at an...

25 June, 2015 /