UNCTAD released the 2019 Liner Shipping Interoperability Index (LSCI), which shows that China remains the world's most maritime-connected country. Since 2006, China's LSCI index has increased by 51%.

According to the index of the index, 5 of the top 10 best interconnected economies in the world in 2019 are located in Asia, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Malaysia are ranked in the top five, with scores above 100.

On the other hand, small island developing States have seen little improvement, and the trade in shipping goods in these countries remains problematic, causing a chain economy impact.

LSCI covers 178 countries and shows the trend of maritime connectivity from 2006 to 2019. It is calculated based on data from global container ship deployments and is published annually.

The components of the index include the number of companies providing shipping services, the number of services, the number of ships parked each month, the total capacity of deployed containers and the size of the largest ship. This year, UNCTAD worked with MDS Transmodal to expand the time series to cover more countries. The 2019 index also includes a new component covering countries that can be reached without transhipment. Studies have shown that the lack of direct links is related to a 42% decline in the value of bilateral exports.