Yantai Port in eastern China's Shandong Province has witnessed a small peak in the shipment of commercial vehicles in the start of the new year.
Since Jan 1, the automobile ro-ro (roll-on/roll-off) terminal of the port has received at least four ro-ro ships and dispatched over 10,000 commercial vehicles.
"For the current large volume of commercial vehicle loading and unloading operations, we improved the efficiency of vehicle passage based on factors like the number of vessels and berthing time. With the joint efforts of all sides, a new high of 320 vehicles per hour in average operational efficiency has been established," said Gu Feng, deputy director of the production dispatching center at Yantai Port Ro-Ro Logistics Co. Ltd.
In 2024, the shipment volume of commercial vehicles from Yantai Port reached 737,000 units, among which the volume of international transshipment exceeded 330,000 units, up 22 percent year on year, statistics showed.
As a logistics base and a logistics hub for commercial vehicles in Shandong and North China, Yantai Port has already developed a number of ro-ro shipping routes that cover over 30 countries and regions in Europe, America, Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
East China port sees swelling auto exports in new year
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that he is stepping down as the Liberal Party leader but will stay on as prime minister until a new leader is selected, while the opposition leader complained that "nothing has changed".
The prime minister said Governor General Mary Simon had granted his request to prorogue Parliament until March 24.
"Nothing has changed," federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on his social media, questioning what has changed with Trudeau's announcement.
"Every Liberal MP and Leadership contender supported everything Trudeau did for nine years, and now they want to trick voters by swapping in another Liberal face to keep ripping off Canadians for another four years," said Poilievre, the official opposition leader.
Trudeau is facing a revolt within his caucus and dismal public opinion polls, which indicate that his party is likely to be swept from power by Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives in an election, according to local media.
The House of Commons was scheduled to resume on Jan. 27, with the Conservatives planning to advance a non-confidence motion. Other opposition parties had indicated their readiness to bring down Trudeau's minority Liberal government. Trudeau's request for prorogation buys the Liberals time to run an expedited leadership race without facing a confidence vote.
A new session of Parliament would begin with a Speech from the Throne, setting the stage for a key confidence vote that could trigger a federal election in May if the Liberals fall.
Trudeau's decision to continue as prime minister through the next two months comes as Canada braces for the start of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's second term and his threats of 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada.
A majority of members of Parliament from the regional Liberal caucuses told Trudeau over the Christmas break that he must step aside. A national, daylong caucus to discuss the matter had been set for Wednesday, but this is now moot with a leadership race underway.
Liberal members of Parliament and party members will be briefed in the coming days on the party's constitution and caucus' role in the upcoming leadership campaign. According to the Liberal Party of Canada's constitution, "upon the occurrence of a leadership trigger event," or if the leader announces resignation, a meeting of the national board of directors must be called within 27 days. In consultation with the caucus, the board could appoint an interim leader. The top party officials would also be required to set a date for a leadership vote and other parameters around the race.
Trudeau has been the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada since 2013 and prime minister since 2015.
Canadian prime minister to step down as opposition complains "nothing has changed"
