China's new land and sea route in its western region is bucking the trend of global logistics disruptions caused by the pandemic. On November 16, the China-Laos Railway (Dazhou-Vientiane) international freight train was launched on the Western Land-Sea New Corridor. On November 17, the new Western land-Sea Corridor (Jiuquan -- Qinzhou Port -- Rotterdam) railway and Sea International combined train launched...

"Since 2022, 78 new lines of the western land-sea corridor have been opened, more than five times that of the whole year of 2021, creating a new high in the past five years." Liu Wei, director of the logistics and operation organization center of the Western Land-Sea New Corridor, said that under the complex situation such as the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Western Land-Sea New Corridor has bucked the trend and "gone red".

With Chongqing as its operation center and the western provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities as key nodes, the new Western land-sea Corridor will run south through Guangxi, Yunnan and other coastal and border ports to reach all parts of the world by means of railway, sea transport and road, greatly shortening the time required to go to sea compared with the eastern region.

"Since 2022, the channel has expanded a number of new logistics routes between Chongqing, Guizhou, Ningxia and Gansu provinces and Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar." The channel logistics network now covers 338 ports in 113 countries and regions, Mr. Liu said.

The acceleration of the expansion of channel lines, driving the freight volume and value of the substantial growth. According to the Logistics and Operation Organization Center of the Western Land-Sea New Corridor, in the first three quarters of 2022, Chongqing transported 105,000 TEU via the Western Land-Sea New Corridor, a year-on-year increase of 29 percent, and the value of goods was 19.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 46 percent.

The "circle of friends" for cooperation is also expanding. In July 2022, Huaihua City in Hunan Province was integrated into the inter-provincial consultation and cooperation mechanism, marking the upgrading of the Western land-Sea New Corridor from the "13+1" cooperation mechanism between 12 western provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities with Hainan Province and Zhanjiang City in Guangdong Province to a new pattern of "13+2" cooperation.

On Nov. 17, a new railway link between Jiuquan and Qinzhou Port and Rotterdam was launched

The new channel of West Land and sea has great significance for solving the logistics problem of the western region and stimulating the opening potential of the west. In the past, Chongqing Yaopi Glass Co., Ltd. suffered from long shipping cycle when exporting its products to ASEAN countries. In 2022, with the support of the new land and sea passage in the West, the problem was solved.

The relevant person in charge of the company calculated an account: "The new western land-sea channel has provided us with efficient supply chain guarantee, the transportation time has been shortened from 32 days to 18 days, the logistics cost has been reduced by 50%, and the value of the company's exports has increased by 45 times year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2022."

Along the new land-to-sea corridor in the western region, more and more products featured in the western region, such as Xinjiang cantaloupe, Guizhou black tea, Xizang beef jerky and Chongqing Mahua, are entering the international market and becoming new growth points for local foreign trade.

"In recent years, I really feel that the concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits has been increasingly vivid and rich reflected along the corridor. More provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities want to join the cooperation mechanism and share the development opportunities created by the corridor." "Liu Wei said.

Consumers choose products at the International Consumption Center of the New Passage of Land and Sea in Jiefangbei, Chongqing

Countries and regions along the belt and road also share market opportunities through the new land and sea corridor in the west. The reporter has learned that more and more Thai durians can be placed on the supermarket counters in Chongqing and other western cities within 10 days by taking the bus on the cross-border highway of the new land-sea Corridor in the West, ensuring the freshness of the fruit to the greatest extent.

"Before the opening of the new land-sea corridor in the west, according to the traditional logistics routes, Thai durians had to be first transferred to local ports, transported by sea to cities in eastern China, and then transported to Chongqing via domestic trunk logistics, which was costly and time-consuming." Said Deng Hongjiu, chairman of Chongqing Hongjiu Fruit Co., LTD.

On the basis of trade in goods, our country is relying on the western land and sea new Corridor, exploring the construction of the "China-Cambodia banana Industrial Park" project with Cambodia, and building an integrated banana supply chain of "transport and trade production". Aiming at Malaysian palm oil, rubber, oil and other resources, promote the formation of new land and sea channels Malaysia supply chain resource center, etc.

"The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to 'accelerate the construction of the new Land and Sea Corridor in the Western region'. We will make great efforts to promote the construction of the new Land and Sea Corridor in the Western region by deeply integrating into the Belt and Road cooperation, exploring institutional and rule innovation, optimizing the logistics operation and organization model, and continuously expanding the space for international cooperation." Chongqing government port and logistics office director Ba Chuanjiang said. Editor/Xu Shengpeng