Shippers pay more shipping via Hong Kong than Shenzhen

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No wonder Hong Kong has been losing ground in recent years to its rivals on the Chinese mainland. It is cost a Chinese exporter $333 per teu more to export his goods via Hong Kong than the nearby mainland port of Shenzhen, mainly as a result of higher terminal handling charges as well as more expensive trucking rates. The one advantage Hong King retains is the existence of China’s cabotage restrictions, which forbids foreign carriers transporting domestic cargo between two Chinese ports, and from which Hong Kong is exempt. Were that to change however…