This week, the world’s biggest container ship begins its maiden voyage from Asia to the US, after picking up cargo in Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shenzhen. But the appearance of the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin — 20 stories high and longer than the Empire State Building is tall — highlights one of the failings of a region heavily reliant on trade. While shipping companies have long been seeking ways to improve their margins, such as using bigger vessels, too many Asian companies have instead ignored margins to focus on sales growth — which is now slowing sharply.
本周，世界最大的集装箱船满载着从广州、香港和深圳装上的货物，开启了从亚洲到美国的处女航。然而，法国达飞海运集团(CMA CGM)旗下的“富兰克林号”(Benjamin Franklin)的外观（20层楼高，且长度超过帝国大厦的高度）突显了高度依赖贸易的该地区的一个败笔。虽然航运公司长期以来都在想方设法提高利润率，比如使用更大的船舶，但太多亚洲企业忽略利润率而专注于销售增长——目前销售正急剧减速。