Chongqing- This year marks the fifth anniversary of the sea-rail intermodal transport train's opening of the New International Land-sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC). During the five years, the ILSTC has experienced from an initiative to the current joint construction, from serving western China to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and extending to the world. 

As the ILSTC operation and organization center, Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has unique transportation advantages. Together with the other provinces and cities in western China, Chongqing will break out a great channel of opening to the outside world, striving to build an inland international logistics hub and port highland. 

To welcome the upcoming Fourth Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT), iChongqing joined Singapore and Guangxi to conduct a live stream about the ILSTC on July 18. They talked about the corridor's latest progress of the country's three significant ports and interacted with overseas viewers. 

Singapore port: providing concept of the smart port's development

As a world-renowned coastal port, the Port of Singapore is the second largest port in the Asia-Pacific region and one of the largest container ports in the world, with a record high container throughput of 37.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

Standing in the Singapore headquarters office of PSA with the container terminals of Singapore port behind, Ms. Tan Liang Hui, assistant vice president of PSA Tuas Port Development, joined the live stream. She said that Singapore's limited land and sea areas leave Tuas Port to apply many advanced terminal construction technologies, aiming to build a sustainable terminal in the future.

With a business network encompassing over 50 locations in 26 countries, PSA has rich experience in container terminal operation, investment, and management. The construction concept of Singapore port and the smart port's development can provide ideas for the port construction in Chongqing, helping China's ports to reach a world-class level. 

Another expert Mr. Au Yong Kong Seng, deputy general manager of Sino-Singapore (Chongqing) DC Multimodal Logistics Co. Ltd, specially mentioned that Chongqing and Guangxi, which participated in the program, are connecting the world effectively with the ILSTC, further opening up the route to the sea in the western hinterland of China. 

Chongqing Guoyuan Port: a frontier opening up from the inland

Nowadays, Thailand live shrimps, Vietnam fruits, European dairy products, and Korean cosmetics can all arrive quickly and conveniently in Chongqing by sea, railway, and international flights. 

As Chaotianmen Pier gradually withdrew from the freight stage, Chongqing planned to build the largest port in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Guoyuan Port, in 2008. Chongqing, which is not along the borders and does not rely on the sea, has gradually become a frontier opening up from the inland.

With the channel construction, Chongqing has derived more diversified business formats. Nick from iChongqing invited the guest Wang Sijia, project manager of the logistics department of Guoyuan Port National Logistics Hub, to join the live stream to present the notable achievements of the port, highlighting the linkage effect of the channel, logistics, trade, and industry. 

Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port: important exit port of the ILSTC 

As the first sea-rail automated container terminal in China, Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port represents the most advanced level of intelligent technology in the port industry, vigorously promoting the corridor's construction. Kevin Wang, Beibu Bay Radio reporter, joined the live stream to explain the notable highlights in logistics, customs clearance, and intelligence in the Beibu Gulf Port Exhibition Hall in Nanning, Guangxi. 

Thanks to the ILSTC's intense drive, the cargo throughput growth rate of Beibu Gulf ranks first in the country with a 27.4% average annual growth from 2017 to 2021. Furthermore, he mentioned the supportive policy issued by the government, marking that Beibu Gulf Port became China's first coastal port enjoying the policy for pilot tax refund at departure land port. 

The outside live stream was in full swing, while the studio staff paid close attention to interest issues of overseas audiences. iChongqing reporter Zhan asked Guangxi about China's first automated container terminal for sea-rail transport. Wang Xiao, deputy general manager of the production business department of Beibu Gulf Port Co., Ltd., explained that this terminal has fully solved problems existing in the terminal operation process solutions with the world's first U-type process and technological solutions. 

It is also designed with China's first intelligent sliding-rail shore cargo-handling system, the first full-process, full-region innovative security system for ports, and the world's first intelligent maintenance and operation platform system for the automated container terminal. The most advanced level of intelligence in China's port industry was vividly presented in the program for viewers at home and abroad.