DALIAN // Ganbat Chuluunkhuu, a young banker from Mongolia, is on a reconnaissance mission from his landlocked homeland to China's Yellow Sea coast.
"This is impressive," he says, as the ferry carrying him rounds a tanker unloading crude oil and enters the container terminal behind a sea wall at Dalian.
Dozens of blue and yellow gantry cranes tower over the quayside; trucks towing containers trundle along multicoloured metal corridors and railway tracks snake off through forested hills to the industrial and agricultural hinterland of north-east China.
Dalian is about 700km from the Mongolian border and is one candidate in Mr Chuluunkhuu's search for a coastal export route for millions of tonnes of coal and iron ore expected to flow out of his country within five years.
Mongolian interest is just one example of the growing demands on Dalian port, which sits strategically on a tongue of land guarding the Bohai Straits, equidistant from Beijing to the west and the Korean peninsula to the east.
Australian liquefied natural gas is sucked into pipelines at one end of the sprawling complex, while Chinese corn pours on to bulk carriers from its 800,000-tonne grain silos next door. In another bay on the rocky peninsula, reddish-brown iron ore lies in symmetrical mounds awaiting a train journey to a steel mill 200km inland. Beyond the container port, a seagoing leviathan designed to carry 8,000 cars casts a shadow across a matrix of thousands of identical, brightly coloured passenger cars parked nearby.
Dalian is one of a dozen ports that have helped China realise its export-driven economic miracle.
Dalian port, attached to a city of 6.6 million people, was occupied by Russia and Japan for much of the first half of the 20th century precisely because of its strategic location. It returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1955 but had to wait three decades for trade to take off. The government moved the port from a downtown location to a few kilometres outside the city in 1996 and trade has climbed at an average 15 per cent every year ever since. It is now the sixth-largest port in China, handling 250 million tonnes of goods a year, compared with 150 million tonnes at Dubai's Jebel Ali, the largest port in the Middle East.
While commodities are an important part of the business, it is the container section that has had the fastest growth. Since the new terminal opened, the number of 20ft containers carrying anything from seafood to hairdryers has grown by 20 to 25 per cent a year and now stands at 5.5 million annually.
"From our analysis, we are sure this growth will continue for the next three years," says Zhang Fengqiang, the public relations manager of the port, apparently unfazed by reports of a global economic slowdown.
The outlook is not just benefiting from China's growth, which motors ahead at 10.5 per cent annually, but the emerging industries within Dalian's extended sphere of influence that are seeking a voice on the stage of world trade. The port has already prepared a huge tract of waterfront opposite the existing container terminal, where new cranes can be installed as soon as the expected demand materialises, Mr Fengqiang says.
Joint ventures have been one ingredient of Dalian's success, creating partnerships with the Port of Singapore; Maersk, the world's largest shipping line; and China Shipping in various phases of its development. Access to capital markets and a huge free zone covering the whole port footprint are others. Dalian has attracted foreign investors including Intel, the microchip maker, Subaru, the Japanese car maker, and Itochu, a Japanese trading giant.
Cherry, the Chinese car manufacturer, is building a 12 billion yuan (Dh6.89bn) integrated plant on the waterfront that will produce 300,000 cars annually when it is complete in five years.
So, will Dalian also be the port of choice for Mongolia? Mr Chuluunkhuu, who left a banking career in New York to set up an advisory practice called Liberty Partners back home in Ulaanbaatar, is not saying.
"They seem receptive," he says. "We still have to see several ports in China and several ports in Russia," he adds, before heading off to his next stop: Dandong, on the border with North Korea.
tashby@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
The five pillars of Islam
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Rest
(Because Music)
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
The years Ramadan fell in May
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ELECTION%20RESULTS
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SHAITTAN
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A meeting of young minds
The 3,494 entries for the 2019 Sharjah Children Biennial come from:
435 – UAE
2,000 – China
808 – United Kingdom
165 – Argentina
38 – Lebanon
16 – Saudi Arabia
16 – Bangladesh
6 – Ireland
3 – Egypt
3 – France
2 – Sudan
1 – Kuwait
1 – Australia
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
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Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Rally schedule:
Saturday: Super Special Spectator Stage – Yas Marina Circuit – start 3.30pm.
Sunday: Yas Marina Circuit Stage 1 (276.01km)
Monday: Nissan Stage 2 (287.92km)
Tuesday: Al Ain Water Stage 3 (281.38km)
Wednesday: ADNOC Stage 4 (244.49km)
Thursday: Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage 5 (218.57km) Finish: Yas Marina Circuit – 4.30pm.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.