The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), one of the permanent bodies of the UN General Assembly, recently announced that the UNCTAD Liner Transport Connectivity Index (LSCI) shows that China has become the world's leading maritime contact.

Based on the world's container ship deployment data, LSCI is published once a year, covering 178 countries. This release shows the trend of maritime connectivity from 2006 to 2019. Among them, the 2019 LSCI index shows that some countries have improved or worsened their position in the world shipping network. China's LSCI index has increased by 51% since 2006. It is reported that the 2019 Shipping Connectivity Index has expanded global coverage and added new components to countries that do not need transshipment.

Jan Hoffmann, Head of Logistics at UNCTAD, said, “The connectivity of a country in the global container shipping network is an important determinant of its trade costs and competitiveness.”

According to the indicator, five of the top ten connected economies in 2019 were located in Asia, China, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, China and Malaysia ranked in the top five, each with a score of over 100.

At the other end of the table, there is little improvement in small island developing States (SIDS), which means that trade in goods in these countries remains problematic and has an impact on the economy.

Hoffmann pointed out, "We have observed a 'connectivity difference' between the best and the worst countries, and the gap is getting bigger."

Studies have shown that regular direct flights help reduce trade costs and increase trade. The lack of direct connections is related to a 42% reduction in the value of bilateral exports.