Hutchison Ports strengthens ties between China's manufacturing and global markets, co-hosting a supply-chain conference ahead of APEC 2026.
Hutchison Ports, one of the world's leading port investors, developers, and operators, has moved to deepen its role as a gateway between China's advanced manufacturing sector and global markets. The company co-hosted a major supply-chain conference and signed a series of cooperation agreements ahead of the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen this November.
In July, Hutchison Ports and Shenzhen Port Group co-hosted the Shenzhen Port Global Supply Chain High-Quality Development Conference 2026 for the first time. The event drew nearly 1,000 participants, including government officials from China and abroad, representatives of Guangdong-based consular missions of APEC economies, international shipping lines, leading manufacturers, and supply-chain companies. Discussions were held under the theme 'Benefitting from New APEC Opportunities, Forging a New Future for Port and Shipping Cooperation,' and were positioned by organizers as momentum-building toward the APEC 2026 'China Year' and the November leaders' meeting.
At the conference, Shenzhen Port Group and Hutchison Ports brought together 16 ports from 10 APEC economies to sign Sister Port Cooperation Agreements. According to the parties, the agreements aim to deepen collaboration across four areas: service-network expansion, green shipping, smart-port development, and talent cultivation.
The two companies also announced the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with Midea and TCL, two firms cited as examples of the scale and reach of China's manufacturing sector. Midea, which serves more than 500 million users in over 200 countries and regions, operates across smart-home appliances, robotics, industrial technology, building technologies, healthcare, and logistics. Under the MOU, Hutchison Ports stated it will work to strengthen supply-chain resilience, reliability, and international connectivity to support Midea's growth, including its stated ambition to reach 1.5 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) in annual global shipments by 2027.
The second MOU was signed with TCL, a global manufacturer of display technology and consumer electronics. Industry reporting indicates TCL shipped 30.7 million televisions in 2025. In January 2026, TCL and Sony announced their intention to form a strategic home-entertainment joint venture, and definitive agreements were signed in March. Subject to regulatory approvals, the venture is expected to begin operations in April 2027. Through the MOU, Hutchison Ports stated it will identify gateway-port and integrated logistics solutions to connect TCL's manufacturing bases more efficiently with overseas markets.
The agreements come against the backdrop of China's sustained manufacturing strength. The country has ranked first globally in manufacturing scale for 15 consecutive years, a standing that industry observers increasingly attribute not only to volume but also to advances in technology, quality, and innovation.
The Asia-Pacific region remains a core strategic market for Hutchison Ports. The company operates in 22 ports across nine APEC economies, which together handled a combined 63.4 million TEU in 2025. Its terminals across these markets function as gateways linking production centers with consumers and supporting broader economic and trade cooperation.
As Shenzhen prepares to host the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November, attention is expected to return to the region's connectivity, resilience, and capacity to support more efficient and sustainable trade. Hutchison Ports positioned its latest agreements as part of a wider effort to combine manufacturing capability, technology, and port connectivity in the building of smarter and more resilient global supply chains.
