China Merchants Port Holdings Co., Ltd.

China Merchants Port Holdings is China's stated-owned port operator. Its parent company China Merchants Group was the first Chinese company to operate commercial vessels, establish an insurance company and a bank. The company's predecessor was founded in 1991 in Hong Kong and in 1997 changed to its current name.

The company has port facilities in Hong Kong and mainland China, including in Shenzhen, Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, Tianjin and Xiamen. It also operates overseas, including in Nigeria and Djibouti among other African countries, South Asia and Europe. The company has about 130 berths for loading and unloading at wharves and piers around the world, accommodating 60 million containers. It has more than a 30% share of the berths in mainland China.

In recent years, the company has stepped up its upgrade of port facilities overseas as part of China's "Maritime Silk Road" plan. Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the sea routes are aimed at connecting China to Europe via Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

In 2014, the company held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new container terminal at the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Worth more than $500 million, the terminal is one of the country's largest foreign investment projects. China Merchants Holdings (International) is also helping fund a $10 billion port in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. The port, which is being promoted by the Tanzanian government, is likely to become the largest in Africa.