In March, China adopted its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), setting out the country’s development blueprint for the next five years. Against that backdrop, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is preparing its own five-year plan for the first time to align more proactively with the national strategy.
Among the provisions relevant to the city’s economic future, the national plan reaffirms the central government’s support for Hong Kong’s role as an international shipping center, while, for the first time, backing the development of a high-value-added supply chain service center. Together, these priorities suggest that Hong Kong’s next task is not only to move cargo efficiently, but to turn its logistics strength into higher-value, greener maritime services.
The Chilean cherry trade can be a compelling place to start.
Every year, millions of metric tons of Chilean cherries are raced across the Pacific to reach Chinese consumers. The journey is unforgiving. The fruit must travel nearly 19,000 kilometers, arrive fresh, clear customs quickly, and be delivered to market within hours. Remarkably, Hong Kong has become one of the world’s most efficient gateways for this trade.
Last season, about 40 percent of Chile’s cherry containers bound for the Chinese mainland passed through Hong Kong. Around half of those containers were dispatched within just one hour of being unloaded from the ship. This feat of speed and coordination is often described as the “Cherry Express”, a showcase of Hong Kong’s free port status and port efficiency.
That success gives Hong Kong an opportunity to think beyond speed and efficiency alone. With San Antonio named among Hong Kong’s first batch of “partner ports” in November 2025, the route already has an institutional foundation. The task now is to turn that partnership into a concrete, investable project: a flagship green shipping corridor that supports Hong Kong’s upcoming five-year plan and contributes to the national 15th Five-Year Plan.
More than a symbolic partnership, such a corridor could offer an early example of how Hong Kong can build on its traditional strengths in shipping and logistics while advancing green development and higher-value-added supply chain services.
Partner ports should not stay on paper. With the “Cherry Express”, Hong Kong already has a living, breathing corridor that moves goods at speed across the Pacific. Turning it into a green shipping corridor would be a practical step toward aligning efficiency with sustainability and reinforcing Hong Kong’s role in the next phase of global maritime trade, as both national and local priorities evolve
Analysis presented last year by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s Institute for the Environment ranked the San Antonio-Hong Kong route as the SAR’s top potential green shipping corridor based on fuel demand.
Using 2021 data, the study identified 52 voyages by 29 ships, with average voyage times of about 23 days and estimated annual fuel consumption of more than 240,000 tons, suggesting both meaningful emissions-reduction potential and commercial relevance.
More importantly, the value of such a corridor would go beyond decarbonization alone. It could help Hong Kong translate its strengths as an international shipping center into a broader set of high-value-added supply chain services, an objective that is now explicitly reflected in national planning support for the city.
This also aligns with Hong Kong’s own policy direction. The SAR government’s maritime and green bunkering action plans have already identified green shipping as a priority and called for discussion of at least one suitable green shipping corridor in 2026.
Rather than starting from scratch, policymakers could anchor this ambition in a real, working trade lane with the “Cherry Express”.
Designating San Antonio-Hong Kong as Hong Kong’s first flagship green shipping corridor would allow the government to move quickly from aspiration to implementation. A clear timetable could be set, with defined milestones for emissions reduction, fuel switching, and infrastructure readiness, providing the kind of policy clarity that is increasingly important as Hong Kong develops its medium-term planning framework.
Implementation could follow a phased approach. In the initial stage, a small group of container services already operating on the route could pilot cleaner fuels, improved operational practices, and emissions-monitoring systems.
Crucially, Hong Kong can use policy signals to crowd in private investment. Shipping lines, fuel suppliers, and financiers should be invited to participate. Early movers could benefit from regulatory clarity, streamlined approvals, and targeted incentives linked directly to verified emissions reductions. This would reinforce a simple message: Hong Kong rewards those who decarbonize.
International cooperation will also be essential. Chile has already launched initiatives to develop green shipping corridors in collaboration with global partners. Aligning standards, certification systems, and fuel strategies would allow vessels to operate seamlessly at both ends of the corridor, reducing risk for operators and investors alike.
The broader significance goes beyond cherries or even shipping. A successful San Antonio-Hong Kong green corridor would demonstrate how climate action can reinforce, not undermine, competitiveness. It would show that high-performance logistics and decarbonization can go hand in hand.
Partner ports should not stay on paper. With the “Cherry Express”, Hong Kong already has a living, breathing corridor that moves goods at speed across the Pacific. Turning it into a green shipping corridor would be a practical step toward aligning efficiency with sustainability and reinforcing Hong Kong’s role in the next phase of global maritime trade, as both national and local priorities evolve.
The author is a PhD maritime studies researcher at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, whose research focuses on shipping, ports, and maritime decarbonization.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
