Antwerp twins with Guangzhou

Antwerp and Guangzhou already have a long relationship with each other. Back in 2010, Guangzhou signed an agreement with APEC, the port of Antwerp training centre, under which various groups of shipping professionals from the port attended training courses.

Now Antwerp and Guangzhou, in collaboration with APEC and three other partners, are setting up a new joint training institute under the name of Guangzhou-Antwerp Port Training & Consultancy Co. Ltd.

This new training centre will offer courses in port operations for professionals from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Over and above the new training centre, the twinning agreement will also see the two ports developing a joint marketing approach which aims to get both ports included in several more shipping loops. Currently, there are just two shipping services between North-West Europe and China calling at both ports.

Other action points in the twinning agreement include the exchange of information on port development and best practices for sustainable enterprise in a port environment. The twinning agreement dovetails perfectly with the philosophy of “One Belt One Road” that was announced by China in the autumn of 2013.

This project aims to improve connections between the main Chinese industrial cities on the one hand and trade centres elsewhere in Asia, the Middle East and Europe on the other. It includes a “rail track” that roughly follows the route of the ancient Silk Road together with a “shipping track” that includes South-East Asia and the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.