APL's fast solution to the Australia-China trade  boom

28 Apr 2005 - It seems like China has become the world's favorite trading partner. Global demand for its high-quality, cost-effective products is flourishing, and China itself has a seemingly unquenchable thirst for the raw materials it uses to make those products.

Australia and China are highly complementary trading partners. The former is a major source of the primary materials China needs. And the strength of the Aussie dollar is pushing Australian demand for China's products to an all-time high. Last year, China's containerized exports to Australia grew year-on-year by 25%, and in the other direction it jumped about 20%.

In response to this growing two-way trade, APL is set to launch one of the industry's fastest direct connections between the countries.

From May 17, the Australia China Express (ACX) will provide weekly connections between Australia's major east coast ports and the Pearl and Yangtze river deltas, which are the world's fastest-growing manufacturing zones, where many multinationals operate global sourcing centers. The Pearl River Delta alone accounts for more than 35% of all China's exports.

As with all other APL services, the ACX will provide better, faster access to multiple markets. But the benefits don't stop there. The ACX will also provide much-improved connections from Australia via Kaohsiung to our network of around 60 weekly services making 300 calls at 90 ports in the world's major markets.

In terms of fast, direct China-Australia transportation, the ACX really raises the bar. It also illustrates APL's firm commitment to providing customers with value-adding services that connect the major markets of the world.