Sinotrans jumps on merger report of parent with China Merchants Group

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It would appear that Beijing has finally begun to get serious about rationalising its shipping and logistics companies. As executives from Cosco and China Shipping begin the long process of framing their merger, China’s largest forwarding and logistics operator, Sinotrans, has now reportedly begun talks with China Merchants Group, the partially state-owned port operator that is expanding internationally. While the Cosco-CSCL tie-up brings together two shipping fleets, the prospect of bringing together the infrastructure assets of China Merchants and the logistics know-how of Sinotrans is intriguing.