The direct shipping and air freight routes between China and Australia cover both sea and air transportation. The specific routes are as follows:
I. Direct Sea Routes
1. Shanghai to Fremantle Port Route
Launch Time: November 2024
Route Features:
One voyage per week, reducing shipping time from 30 days to 14 days. By bypassing the congested Singapore port and instead passing through Hong Kong and Jakarta, transportation efficiency has been significantly enhanced.
The first voyage's vessel can accommodate 2,000 sea containers and is fully booked, demonstrating strong market demand for this new route.
Impact:
It has promoted trade between Western Australia and China, especially alleviating supply chain congestion and providing strong support for the pre-Christmas purchasing peak.
2. Tianjin to Major Australian Ports Route (China-Australia Express)
Launch Time: February 2022
Route Features:
Seven specialized container ships with a capacity of 1,800 to 3,000 TEUs operate on a weekly basis, calling at Tianjin Port and Australian ports such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
The voyage time has been reduced from over 50 days to around 20 days, greatly improving efficiency.
Impact:
The volume of container sea transportation between Tianjin Port, an important northern Chinese maritime hub, and major Australian ports has steadily increased, with a year-on-year growth of over 10% in 2021.
The new route has helped solve various difficulties and problems caused by long voyages, boosting enterprises' confidence in increasing foreign trade exports and expanding international markets.
3. Xiaomei to Australia Ro-Ro Route
Launch Time: July 2025
Route Features:
Cars can be directly exported from Xiaomei Port to Australia, with the fastest arrival time being only 10 days.
The route covers six major global core regions, reaching Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Europe, South America, and Australia.
Impact:
It adds a golden logistics channel for automotive trade between China and Australia, promoting international trade in the automotive industry.
II. Direct Air Routes
1. Shanghai to Sydney Cargo Route
Launch Time: June 2025
Route Features:
Operated by Qantas Airways' QF7534 all-cargo aircraft, with two flights per week, using A330 all-cargo aircraft.
Goods departing from Shanghai can reach Sydney in about 10 hours, further enhancing cross-border logistics efficiency.
Impact:
It enriches and improves the cargo route network layout of Shanghai Airport in the Oceania region, better assisting enterprises in both countries to reduce logistics costs.
2. Cargo Capacity on China-Australia Passenger Routes
Route Features:
The belly holds of passenger flights can also be used for cargo transportation. For instance, China Southern Airlines' China-Australia routes will operate up to 74 round-trip direct flights per week during the 2025 winter-spring season, including routes such as Guangzhou-Sydney, Shenzhen-Sydney, Guangzhou-Melbourne, and Guangzhou-Adelaide.
Impact: The increase in passenger routes has also indirectly enhanced the freight capacity between China and Australia, meeting the market's demand for rapid delivery.
