China's ports brace for second hit as virus spread affects exports

Container ships dock at a port in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, on March 22, 2020.- China Daily

BEIJING (Reuters): China’s ports and shipping firms are bracing for a second wave of supply chain disruptions that may be deeper and more prolonged than during the country’s coronavirus lockdown as the global spread of the virus chokes off international demand.

With Beijing reporting only sporadic domestic transmission of the coronavirus since March, workers have been allowed to return to posts, factories are restarting and ports are rushing to clear a backlog of cargoes.