In southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, the Nanpeng highway logistics base witnessed a significant milestone as a cross-border highway shuttle bus, carrying Chongqing-made gasoline engines, efficiently reached the Youyi Pass in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region within a day. Thanks to streamlined customs clearance at the pass, the transportation time was considerably reduced.
The cross-border highway shuttle bus is one of the three logistics means of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. This corridor has proven its advantages in customs clearance efficiency and flexible arrangements, backed by the cooperation of customs authorities along the route, according to Zeng Yi, the general manager of Chongqing Highway Transportation ASEAN International Logistics Co., Ltd. Consequently, more and more enterprises have started favoring this mode of transportation.
The corridor has experienced remarkable growth in traffic volumes during the first six months of the year. More than 1.2 million shuttle buses were handled, reflecting an impressive 84.18 percent year-on-year surge. Furthermore, international railway trains recorded 4,091 trips, marking an 18.51 percent increase, while cross-border rail-sea intermodal trains made 4,510 trips, showing a 9 percent year-on-year rise.
This triple growth in transport activity indicates the corridor’s substantial contribution to the foreign trade development in western China. The provincial-level regions along the corridor recorded an import and export value of approximately 350 billion yuan (49 billion U.S. dollars) during the first half of the year, representing a 40 percent year-on-year increase, as reported by Chongqing Customs. The total volume of imports and exports handled during this period amounted to about 73 million tonnes, up by 16 percent compared to the previous year.
To further improve connectivity along the route, local customs authorities in the regions have collaborated to facilitate “green channels” for customs clearance. Additionally, the customs authorities in western China have plans to integrate the trade corridor with the thriving China-Europe freight train services and the Yangtze River golden waterway.
Changan Automobile Co., Ltd., a leading vehicle manufacturer based in Chongqing, praised the new trade corridor, stating that it has provided them with a more efficient alternative to reach global markets and significantly enhanced their competitiveness.
The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, established in 2017, is a trade and logistics passage jointly built by provincial-level regions in western China and ASEAN members. The rail-sea intermodal service has expanded to cover 61 cities in 17 provincial-level areas in China.
Thanks to the trade corridor, numerous products from China’s inland provinces and regions along the route, such as red wine from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and nuts from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, now have access to broader markets worldwide. Likewise, Cambodian rice, Thai coconuts and mangosteens, and Vietnamese passion fruit and durians can swiftly reach the Chinese market in just a few days through this trade route.
