"Were it not for the powerful State-owned enterprises, it would be almost impossible for Qinzhou port to see continuous growth of its handling capacity when China's trade declines," Pei said.

With cheap land and low taxes and labor costs, Qinzhou has attracted several large State-owned petroleum enterprises, along with petrochemical industries, thermal power and papermaking enterprises from Indonesia to its port area in the past decade.

These giant enterprises' self-operated ports make up most of Qinzhou port's annual handling capacity.

When a petroleum chemical factory temporarily suspended production last year, Qinzhou's economy dropped by nearly 30 percent.

Attracting these big enterprises to Qinzhou, was a major accomplishment for local officials who are now seeking concrete benefits for Qinzhou's economy from the Maritime Silk Road strategy.

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