Zhejiang port firm embraces 'dual-circulation' pattern

On the back of the country's successful control of the pandemic, Ying said China is set to see fourth-quarter GDP growth of 5.5 to 6 percent.

Looking ahead, Ying expected the global economy will enter a recovery period after the arrival of spring and summer next year and China will enter a post-pandemic era next year.

"By then, the key task is to continue to promote economic restructuring and pursue long-term-sustainable growth, and build the new model of dual-circulation, which will lay a good foundation for healthy and stable development in the coming five years," Ying added.

Experts said under the new "dual-circulation" development pattern, the country needs to work harder to better satisfy local needs and strengthen the industrial and supply chains, adding that a modern logistics system will help improve efficiency and provide strong support for the new development pattern.

Wang Yong, a visiting professor at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, spoke highly of the key role of China's logistics system in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that building a modern logistics system is key to connecting consumers and producers.

"Entering a new stage of high-quality development and the new development pattern, we need to build a modern logistics system that is unified, open, competitive, safe and efficient, which will help boost the innovative development of industry and consumption," he said.

Wang Yong's views were echoed by Wang Changlin, president of the Academy of Macroeconomic Research of the National Development and Reform Commission, who said the construction of a modern logistics system is key to building a strong domestic market in the future.

According to Wang Changlin, it will help better satisfy consumers' needs for high-quality imported and domestically made goods and accelerate the push for industrial and consumption upgrades.

Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, with the world's largest cargo throughput for 11 consecutive years and ranking the third in global container handling capacity, has achieved growth despite the impact of the pandemic.

The company is estimated to have had a cargo throughput of 72.69 million metric tons last month and handled 2.85 million standard containers, 16.9 percent higher than October last year.

Statistics from the Ministry of Transport show that the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port handled 887 million tons of cargo from January to September, up 4.9 percent year-on-year.

During the period, 21.36 million standard containers were handled, a year-on-year increase of 0.5 percent, while overall national port container throughput dropped by 1.3 percent.