Xu Lirong is the man to steer the merged Cosco and China Shipping, Beijing announced today.

Xu led the cross-company working group of five executives that organised the creation of the combined vehicle boasting $74.7bn in assets. 

He was previously chairman of China Shipping but has also held a number of top positions in Cosco companies, including the chairmanship of both Cosco Pacific and Cosco Shipping.

According