The 2026 World Intelligent Industry Expo was held at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin). The newly established embodied intelligence exhibition area showcased nearly 150 types of robots and related products. A team of land, sea, and air robots captured significant attention: Galileo quadruped robots and wheel-legged composite robots demonstrated agile obstacle navigation, while Cloud Saint's "aerial grid" intelligent drones hovered, and Deep Blue underwater robots targeted deep-sea applications.
Twenty kilometers away, on the shores of the Bohai Bay, at the world's first "smart zero-carbon" terminal, another group of robots was busy. Artificial intelligence transport robots moved autonomously, and automated quay cranes performed precise lifting operations, marking the start of another day at Tianjin Port.
These two scenes point to the same question: As artificial intelligence moves from laboratories to production lines, how can a port city transform its technological advantages into industrial growth momentum? The answer lies in using the port as a center to drive a transformation in new quality productive forces within the port-city integration framework.
To understand Tianjin Port, one must first recognize its strategic position on the national chessboard. Its uniqueness lies in its dual orientation: one facing inland and the other facing the sea. This geographical advantage makes it not only Tianjin's gateway to the sea but also the maritime portal for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and northern China, serving as a critical port hub.
In November 2025, Tianjin's "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal was released, elevating Tianjin Port's goal from "benchmarking against world-class ports" to "accelerating the construction of a world-class smart, green, and integrated port." A key emphasis was placed on building a strategic pivot connecting domestic and international dual circulations in northern China.
The dual positioning of "hub" and "pivot" entrusts Tianjin Port with the mission of linking internal and external markets and facilitating smooth circulation. Strategic positioning determines the port's significance, but turning plans into reality depends on the port's inherent capabilities.
In the first quarter of this year, Tianjin Port handled 147 million tons of cargo and 6.257 million TEUs of containers, representing year-on-year growth of 4.5% and 9.5%, respectively. For the full year 2025, container throughput exceeded 24 million TEUs, with the number of shipping routes increasing to 151, covering over 500 ports in more than 180 countries and regions worldwide.
Where does this growth momentum originate? The answer lies at the forefront of the terminal. At the C-section intelligent container terminal in Tianjin Port's Beijiang Port Area, AI transport robots work in precise coordination with automated quay cranes and yard cranes, enabling fully automated operations throughout the process. As a "smart zero-carbon" terminal, it achieves three 100% targets: 100% electricity usage, 100% green electricity for all power consumed, and 100% self-sufficiency in green electricity production.
The value of self-innovation extends beyond the port itself. Guided by the development philosophy of "one port linking hundreds of industries, one port revitalizing the entire city," the multiplier effect of the port economy continues to expand, accelerating industrial clustering along the coastline. As the main arena for port-industry-city integration, the Binhai New Area has now attracted 215 leading artificial intelligence enterprises, with a core industry scale exceeding 50 billion yuan.
In 2025, the combined output value of five major port-side industries—green petrochemicals, marine engineering equipment, grain and oil processing, new energy, and aerospace—surpassed 500 billion yuan. As a key economic functional zone in Tianjin's Binhai New Area, the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone focuses on four strategic directions: biomanufacturing, gene technology, green hydrogen, and low-altitude economy. It has attracted over 30,000 enterprises, forming clusters in aerospace, high-end equipment, biomanufacturing, and marine equipment, each valued at hundreds of billions of yuan.
Port-city interactions are also fostering new business models. The cruise economy is accelerating its recovery, while the "Tianjin Port Impression" cultural tourism project transforms port scenes into consumer experiences. The integration of culture, tourism, and commerce in the Dongjiang Comprehensive Bonded Zone is becoming a new bridge connecting the port and the city.
A port is not merely a hub for cargo handling but also a platform for resource allocation. Tianjin's "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal emphasizes deepening intergovernmental coordination and market-oriented cooperation between Tianjin and Hebei ports, enhancing the functionality of the shipping corridor from Xiongan New Area to Tianjin Port, and jointly building a world-class port cluster.
Tianjin Port is also strengthening coordination within the Beijing-Tianjin-Xiongan innovation triangle, integrating rail-sea intermodal transport with Beijing's Pinggu and Dahongmen areas, and achieving mutual recognition of customs supervision and information exchange with Beijing Customs. This promotes regional customs clearance integration, reduces costs for enterprises, and fosters a development pattern with clear division of labor and collaborative support within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei port cluster.
The logic of port-driven logistics, logistics-driven trade, trade-driven industry, and industry-driven urban development is accelerating in Tianjin. The new quality productive forces fostered by the port economy are converging into a powerful wave driving regional development. In 2025, the Binhai New Area's regional GDP reached 789.1 billion yuan, with the output value of strategic emerging industries, high-tech manufacturing, and key industrial chains significantly increasing as a proportion of the total industrial output value of large-scale enterprises, outlining a growth curve centered on innovation-driven development and structural optimization.
From the canal transport era to the industrial era, Tianjin's progress has always stemmed from its keen grasp of opportunities in productive force transformation. As new quality productive forces become a key variable determining the future of cities, this century-old port once again stands at the forefront of change. The tides of Tianjin are surging, and transformation is underway.
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