Here in China, where big is normal, Tianjin Port stands out for its size. The 107-square-kilometer port, a sister port of the Port of Portland, grew from the sixth largest port in the world last year to fifth. It is the world’s largest artificial port.
The port operates more than 200 cranes, compared to 12 at the Port of Portland, has a workforce of 40,000, compared to 750 at Portland.
It is built on 600 million cubic yards of dredged material that it has moved over the last six years. That compares to 300 cubic yards of material the Port of Portland has moved since it started dredging the Columbia River in 1891.
The port, which is planning to continue to expand, could be a vital facility for Oregon exports if the state can gain authority to test its products for Chinese food safety protocols.
Oregon is poised to sign a memorandum of understanding with Chinese officials stipulating the two governments will work toward establishing testing protocol. Chinese government officials were scheduled to sign the MOU this trip, but postponed the signing until November, when Chinese officials are scheduled to fly to Portland.
To date, most U.S. agricultural exports enter China through the southern China port of Yantian in Guangdong Province, with Hong Kong Port another major point of entry.
“There is a tremendous amount of product that moves into China through Hong Kong,” said Jim Cramer, administrator of the commodity inspection division for the Oregon Department of Agriculture. “But the Yantian port is the more notable agricultural port.”
Tianjin Port is attractive because of its close proximity to Beijing, the nation’s capital and second largest city, he said. Beijing has a population of more than 19.6 million people, or more than half the population of California (37.25 million). Oregon’s population is 3.8 million.
An Oregon business delegation, led by Gov. John Kitzhaber, toured the port Sept. 20.
Tianjin Port officials said they hope one day to replace Singapore as the number one port in the world.
