(Yicai Global) Nov. 16 -- Several Chinese ports, including the Port of Shanghai and Port of Tianjin, have reduced their handling fees for foreign trade containers, cutting annual import and logistics costs by about CNY3.5 billion (USD527 million) next year, said the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top price setter and economic planner.

Shanghai International Port Group Co., Tianjin Port Group Co., Qingdai Port Group Co., Ningbo Zhoushan Port Co. and others have all reformed their production and operations to maintain fair market competition after an antitrust investigation run by the NDRC and Ministry of Transport. This has reduced the costs of import and exports and increased the efficiency of the real economy.

The antitrust probe uncovered a number of problems at port companies. Shipping companies were restricted to using tugboats, cargo handling, shipping and other services provided by subsidiaries of the port companies, and local foreign trade container handlers were charged loading and unloading fees much higher than they should have been. Additional unjustified terms of trade included obliged unpacking, non-competition terms and loyalty provisions at partner firms. These anti-competitive actions resulted in high service prices and increased operating costs for the real economy.

Major ports have corrected the issues and reduced handling fees for foreign containers, while smaller ports, such as Tangshan, Huanghua, Weihai, Rizhao, Lianyungang and Beibu Gulf have self-investigated problems and developed measures to rectify them.

Most port companies have taken the antitrust probe very seriously and earnestly set out plans to amend the problems at hand. These include fully opening up the market for tugboats, cargo handling and shipping agencies to ensure fair competition among all companies working around ports; reasonably reducing foreign trade handling fees and abolishing all unfair trade terms to restore market order.