After its foundation in 2014, the Group expanded international trunk shipping lines to 94.

The group's Maritime Silk Road shipping routes grew from 14 in 2014 to 21 most recently, while the number of TEUs handled annually nearly doubled.

The Haitian port in Xiamen, Fujian province. [Photo by Wei Peiquan/Xinhua]

As the host of the 2017 BRICS Summit, Xiamen's trade and economic relations with BRICS countries including Russia, South Africa and India have become increasingly close, including in the shipping business. The routes linking Vladivostok in Russia, Durban and Cape Town in South Africa, and Mundra in India have been in operation for years and accumulated a loyal clientele, helping maintain sound business operations.

Xiamen port's quality of service is being increasingly recognized –– the Shanghai International Shipping Institute ranked it fourth among seafront container ports in China in 2016 for overall services, after Shanghai port, Ningbo Zhoushan port and Qingdao port, according to Fujian's Transportation Bureau.