Chongqing - China is advancing finance–shipping integration, with local officials in Chongqing unveiling plans to position inland waterway transport within broader development plans at the High-Quality Development Forum for Inland Waterway Transportation (2025) on September 9.

Chongqing has become the shipping hub of the upper Yangtze River, with its port now the region’s largest center for containers, bulk cargo, and automobile transport, as well as a key hub for river tourism, said He Qing, director of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Transport.

Liu Liang, director of the Changjiang River Administration of Navigation Affairs, said that although finance is now deeply embedded in the inland shipping chain and the Yangtze River Shipping Comprehensive Financial Service Platform has helped ease company-level difficulties, challenges still remain.

Liu Liang, director of Changjiang River Administration of Navigation Affairs. (Photo/Chongqing Shipping Exchange)

Liu cited three difficulties of shipping finance: incomplete credit evaluations for small and medium-sized shipping companies, insufficient dedicated insurance products, and a lack of tools to manage freight rate risks. The administration plans to promote a model that combines credit, shipping big data, and financial services.

Integrating finance with shipping has become a key growth engine for Chongqing, He said. By developing multimodal transport that connects the Belt and Road with the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the city has boosted corporate financing and freight volumes. He highlighted future priorities such as digital and supply chain finance and the creation of investment funds.

Financial regulators also highlighted their role in supporting these efforts. Wen Jiangyong, deputy president of the People's Bank of China Chongqing Branch, said the branch has advanced green finance reform by introducing shipping transformation standards and offering preferential loans. More than 9 billion yuan ($1.26 billion) in loans have gone to 348 port and shipping companies, lifting green loan balances in shipping above 33 billion yuan.

Wen Jiangyong, deputy president of the People's Bank of China Chongqing Branch. (Photo/Chongqing Shipping Exchange)

Wen added that digital tools are further strengthening the sector. A newly launched financial services platform enables cross-border settlements in digital RMB, with $2.3 billion in freight payments already processed.

Alongside banking, insurance providers are also expanding their support. Gui Songtao, head of the shipping insurance center at People’s Insurance Company of China (PICC), said the firm covers more than 3,000 logistics enterprises and has issued western China's first multimodal transport insurance in Chongqing. To align with green shipping goals, PICC has led the creation of an insurance community for vessels powered by liquefied natural gas, methanol, and electricity, and introduced the world's first comprehensive insurance clauses for electric ships.

These combined efforts translated into new agreements at the forum. Banks, insurers, and shipping companies signed contracts covering loans, credit lines, and underwriting.  

In the first eight months of this year, commercial banks in Chongqing issued 9.5 billion yuan in loans to 353 port and shipping enterprises. Over the same period, major insurance institutions in the city provided ship risk coverage worth 14.38 billion yuan and cargo risk coverage totaling 1.06 trillion yuan.

He Jianzhong, chairman of the China Institute of Navigation, said the country's inland shipping industry is facing an unprecedented historic opportunity. He called for joint efforts from government agencies, enterprises, industry groups, and research institutions to advance the sector's high-quality development.