The Liaoning Port Group opened three new routes from Dalian to Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, and South Korea in the first half of this year. Its foreign trade route network now covers more than 300 ports in over 160 countries and regions.

"It is connected with almost all major ports in countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative," said Song Hui, marketing manager of Liaoning Port Group's Dalian Port Container Development body.

As one of China's largest port companies in terms of assets and throughput, Liaoning Port Group can meet the requirements of berthing a vast number of container ships with its 29 berths.

"On average, about 40 vessels berth or leave here every day and we operate more than 20,000 twenty-foot (6 meter) equivalent units (TEU) per day and night," said Wang Chong, deputy manager of the operation's department of Dalian Container Terminal Company of the port group.

In the first four months of this year, cargo throughput and container throughput showed double-digit growth year on year.

The growth was steady for its main types of cargo, such as iron ore, crude oil, steel, coal, grain and commercial vehicles, showing the advantage of integration.

In the past, ports scattered all over Liaoning province competed for business, including Dalian and Yingkou ports, both ranked in China's top 10 for throughput of domestic cargo.

Last year, Dalian Port handled 467 million metric tons of cargo and 9.71 million TEUs while the figures for Yingkou Port were 293 million tons and 6.04 million TEUs.

China Merchants Group and the Liaoning provincial government cooperated to launch the integration of the ports. On Jan 4, the Liaoning Port Group was officially established, with its headquarters in Dalian.

Tang Yijun, governor of the province, said the establishment of the port group was a major step forward for Liaoning.

The province has a solid industrial foundation and abundant logistics resources, said Li Jianhong, chairman of the China Merchants Group. CMG will give full play to the group's global port and shipping resources and network advantages, Li said.

The Liaoning Port Group has 10 major port areas with total assets of nearly 200 billion yuan ($28.4 billion) and 35,000 employees. It boasts 195 modern berths.

Bai Jingtao, general manager of Liaoning Port Group, said the integration was indicative of Northeast China's opening-up to the outside world, and "an important driving force for Northeast China's revitalization, as well as being a major logistics channel in Northeast Asia".