Incheon port looks to India and Indonesia amid supply chain shift from China

Incheon Port Authority sees India and Indonesia as the new China, tapping into countries that are two of the largest emerging markets for container shipments.

And it has launched the South Korean port's first direct container shipping link with India - the Far East-India Express (FIE).

Incheon port officials said FIE was expected to become a key transport link for raw materials and finished products from major manufacturing plants in East India and the Seoul metropolitan area.

Containerised exports from South Korea to India, were previously handled only at Busan and Gwangyang ports. Incheon Port Authority

president Lee Kyung-Kyu said: "The opening of this Far East-India route will mark a new turning point in Incheon port's expansion of its logistics network with major ports in South Asia. We will strengthen our cooperation with South Asia to support exporters and importers in the Seoul area."

The authority said it had recently been pursuing a strategy focusing on the "Next China" region to respond to the changing global shipping environment and the diversification of China-centric supply chains.

With US president Donald Trump hitting back at the concentration of manufacturing in China with tariffs, factories have been shifting to Southeast Asia.

Specifically, Incheon Port Authority has targeted the Indian and Indonesian markets, and has been creating new routes through visiting shippers, and offering incentives in strategic regions.