China's home-built pleasure ship set off on its maiden voyage from Shanghai on Monday. This is a sign of China's efforts to become self-reliant on key technologies and its growing development.
The ship named 'Edora Magic City' has left Shanghai port on its first commercial voyage to South Korea and Japan.
Featuring a state-of-the-art lounge and hotpot restaurant, the luxury cruise ship aims to provide a means for China's growing middle class to satisfy their desire for international travel.
The state media has hailed the 16-deck luxury liner as a major milestone and a crown jewel for the country's shipping industry.
According to Lloyds Register (LR), the ship's services provider, its construction was delayed due to COVID-19.
This is China's first entry into the shipping sector, which is dominated by Europe. China's first domestically produced passenger jet, the C919, also made its maiden flight outside central China last month.
For Beijing, which has long sought to compete with rivals in Europe and the United States and reduce its reliance on foreign technology, the complex projects are of utmost importance.
In an article on Lloyd's website, Marko Scopaz, on-site project manager for Lloyds Register Company (LR), said, “The Adora Magic City construction components were provided by international suppliers. But in the future, China will have the opportunity to build its own supply chain."
He said that "Edora Magic City Cruise" marks the beginning of the country's significant and rapid development in design and construction. The content of this report is taken from Reuters.