Ningbo: Inside an exhibition hall at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, the world's busiest port by cargo throughput, a giant screen pulses with real-time port operations data. A group of visitors could recently be seen watching intently as a digital platform mapped out how smart port technologies were driving efficient management and greener growth.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the Advisory Council of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held its 2025 session in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province. A day earlier, advisory council members from Kenya, Egypt, the United Kingdom, and beyond visited the world-class deep-water port in Zhejiang.

The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port is the only port in the world that has handled over 1 billion tonnes of cargo annually for 16 consecutive years. It has more than 200 deep-water berths across 20 port areas stretching 220 kilometers of coastline, with each berth capable of accommodating 10,000-tonne ships. The port serves as a critical hub in the Yangtze River Delta, connecting China with the Middle East, Africa, and Europe under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Essam Sharaf, former prime minister of Egypt, emphasized the port's advanced status, noting its significance in global trade. Erastus J.O. Mwencha, former deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission, viewed the port as a symbol of multilateralism, highlighting the BRI's role in advancing global cooperation and mutual benefit.

Since its inception over a decade ago, the BRI has focused on port cooperation as a key field of connectivity. Collaborative efforts between China and its partners have transformed critical maritime infrastructure, with projects including the Gwadar Port of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Greece's Piraeus Port, and Nigeria's Lekki Deep Sea Port.

For many advisory council members who visited Ningbo, the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port exemplified the potential for deepened Belt and Road cooperation. Sharaf called the BRI "one of the most important cooperation platforms in the world today," citing its significance in international development and shared planning.

Mwencha expressed similar sentiments, describing the BRI as "a port of hope, of progress, of the future," underscoring the initiative's role in fostering global connectivity and shared opportunities.