The first international cross-border freight train between China and Vietnam (Chongqing Orchard Port - Hanoi, Vietnam) of the new western land-sea corridor departed from the Orchard Port National Logistics Hub on the 26th. The opening of this cross-border railway train has added a convenient "southbound channel" to the export of products in western China, bringing new opportunities for cross-border trade between Chongqing and ASEAN.

The train has a total of 43 containers with a value of over 3.9 million US dollars, all of which are local products in Chongqing, including gasoline engines, engines, tires, printing paper, etc. The final destination is the Haiphong Industrial Park in Hanoi, Vietnam.

According to reports, in the past, most of the goods exported from Sichuan and Chongqing to Vietnam were transported eastward to Shanghai and other ports. It took more than 20 days to arrive in Vietnam, which was time-consuming and caused great loss of goods. After the cross-border railway train is put into operation, the freight time from Chongqing to Vietnam will be shortened to 4 to 5 days, which will greatly reduce the transportation cost of enterprises and greatly improve the freight efficiency.

Li Guoqiang, deputy director of the Free Trade Office (China-News Office) of Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, said that this cross-border train shipment has realized the seamless connection between the new western land-sea channel, the Yangtze River Golden Waterway, the China-Europe Railway Express and other international logistics channels in Orchard Port, which will further promote the Close and deepen economic and trade exchanges and cooperation between Chongqing and ASEAN countries.

The New Western Land-Sea Corridor is a new land-sea trade channel created by cooperation between the western provinces of China and Singapore. With Chongqing as the operation center and Guangxi, Guizhou, Gansu and other provinces as key nodes, the railway, sea, highway and other transportation methods are used to travel southward via Guangxi Beibu Gulf connects all over the world.

Wang Yupei, chairman of the New Land-Sea Corridor Operation Co., Ltd., said that after the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) came into effect on January 1, 2022, the trade between Chongqing and ASEAN countries will become more frequent, and the western regions of China and countries along the new Western Land-Sea Corridor will have more frequent trade exchanges. The cost of logistics has been continuously reduced, and the demand for cross-border transportation has gradually increased.

Data show that after the RCEP came into effect, the freight volume of the new western land-sea channel has increased significantly. In the first two months of 2022, 107,800 TEUs of goods were shipped by rail-sea combined trains on the new western land-sea channel, a year-on-year increase of 64.8%. Taking Chongqing, the operation center of the new land-sea corridor in the west, as an example, on the day RCEP came into effect, 5 trains, including the new land-sea corridor Chongqing-Beibu Gulf rail-sea combined train, and the new land-sea corridor Chongqing-Vietnam cross-border railway, were sent to RCEP member countries. Since then, Chongqing has successively launched the China-Laos Railway (Jiangjin-Vientiane) international freight train in the new land-sea passage, and the China-Laos railway special train for the export of Chinese motorcycles in the new land-sea passage.

At the same time, the first return (Chongqing/Kunming) train from Luang Prabang Station of the China-Laos Railway in the new land-sea corridor and the Thailand glutinous rice train of the China-Laos railway in the new land-sea corridor were successfully launched. Zhou Ming, commissioner of the Marketing Department of Luhai New Channel Operation Co., Ltd., said that the entry into force of RCEP has reduced tariffs and value-added tax for some Southeast Asian enterprises. Over the past two months, the volume of mangosteen and durian from Thailand and tapioca flour from Laos to China has also seen a substantial increase.

Wang Yupei said that in 2021, the new western land-sea channel will export about 30,000 TEUs of goods to RCEP member countries, with a value of 5.014 billion yuan. After the RCEP takes effect, the rail-sea combined transport trains through the new western land-sea corridor, cross-border railway trains to Vietnam and Laos, and cross-border highway shuttles will further connect the markets, resources and industries of the countries along the route, effectively reducing the risk of damage in western China. The logistics cost of countries along the route will form favorable development opportunities for China and Southeast Asian industries. Editor / Zhao E