On October 29, Chongqing was included in the list of cities to build national logistics hubs in 2020 and approved for constructing inland port-based national logistics hubs. Last year, it had been approved for the construction of port-based national logistics hubs. Therefore, it has become the only city in the country approved to construct both inland port-based and port-based national logistics hubs.
Guoyuan Port: An international multimodal transport hub base
View of Guoyuan Port
On May 31, the Commercial Vehicle Logistics Base of Yuzui Railway Freight Station in Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area was put into operation. In the future, Chongqing's finished automobiles can be distributed to the markets across the country by rail. In addition, after the official operation of the base, the proportion of finished automobile transport in Liangjiang New Area or even Chongqing will increase by 30%–40%, which will significantly bring down the transport cost.
In November 2019, the State Council approved the expansion of Chongqing's opening-up to Guoyuan Port, marking that Guoyuan Port has become a port area for opening-up. Chongqing's major advantage is to speed up constructing a multimodal integrated logistics hub and the upstream shipping center of the Yangtze River.
After its opening-up, the service and operation capacities of Guoyuan Port have been greatly enhanced. Some goods in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River are also transshipped to Europe and ASEAN countries through the port's operating area utilizing water-rail multimodal transport, which promotes the coordinated integration of the Belt and Road with the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
CCI brings win-win results to the western region
China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI) is the third intergovernmental cooperation project between China and Singapore. As of late July 2020, under the framework of CCI, China and Singapore had signed 68 cooperation agreements for various platforms and 228 contracts for cooperation projects, with a total value of about USD 32 billion and a fulfillment rate topping 90%.
As the operating center of CCI, Chongqing has explored several key projects under its framework, including the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, China-Singapore Cross-border Financing Channel China-Singapore (Chongqing) Dedicated Channel on International Internet Data. The city has achieved remarkable results with innovation driving and radiating the western region and promoting the inland opening-up.
Singapore has become the second-largest source of foreign investment in Chongqing. It has signed 228 projects with the city, with a total value of about USD 32.08 billion and actual utilization of foreign capital of USD 6.59 billion.
China Railway Express: First in both quantity and value of heavy container trains
China Railway Express (Yuxinou) is the first line of China Railway Express in the country. March 2011 saw the official launch of China Railway Express (Yuxinou) from Chongqing to Duisburg in Germany, marking the full opening of China's westward overland corridor for international trade direct to Europe. In early July this year, the National Development and Reform Commission announced that five cities nationwide, including Chongqing, would be supported to carry out the demonstration project construction of a center for China Railway Express. That means Chongqing was among the first batch of the centers.
China Railway Express (Yuxinou) is the first line of China Railway Express in the country.
Chongqing has basically formed an international logistics channel system that connects the sea in the east, Europe in the west, Southeast Asia in the south, and Russia in the north. Chongqing's strategic position as a strategic fulcrum of China's western development and a link between the Belt and Road and the Yangtze River Economic Belt is becoming increasingly prominent. It focuses on expanding channels and upgrading platforms for opening-up, developing an open economy, expediting the building of an exemplary city for inland opening-up, and striving to take the lead in and drive the opening-up in the western region.