Chongqing- The International Trade Single Window for the New International Land-sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) in Western China was launched at the 2022 CCI-ILSTC International Cooperation Forum on July 22, indicating further improved intelligent applications of the ILSTC.

The public information platform and blockchain platform built by New Land-sea Corridor Operation Co., Ltd. made a breakthrough in logistics, trade, finance, and industry, reducing the cost of data interaction on the channel and fully releasing the energy of digital intelligence technology, said Zhang Peng, information director of New Land-sea Corridor Operation Co., Ltd., during an exclusive interview with iChongqing recently. 

The efficient and convenient service platform

"As a key project of ILSTC, the public information platform, using big data technology, integrates massive data of logistics hub nodes, transportation data of vehicles, documents circulation data, and financial service data," said Zhang. "At this stage, data sharing has been achieved between the two port logistics hubs in Chongqing and Guangxi. Next, we will expand the data linkage between logistics hubs in other provinces and cities."

In addition to logistics services, the platform created an online warehouse booking service. "Enterprises can complete the entire ordering process online, which is more convenient and efficient than the traditional logistics services submitted offline," Zhang said. "At present, the logistics service platform has close to 400 online customers, mainly from various provinces and cities along the corridor. We will continue to expand and enhance applications to meet our customers' needs."

Besides, the New Land-sea Corridor Operation Co., Ltd. also took advantage of the emerging blockchain technology and created the New International Land-sea Trade Corridor blockchain platform, Land-sea Chain. According to Zhang, blockchain technology was initially intended to create a reliable digital document circulation (DDC) platform and improve digital applications' efficiency.

Based on blockchain technology, the company developed a digital bill of lading platform that improves reliability and self-control, reducing bill of lading delivery time to a few minutes. "Our platform is designed to help customers extend financial services, facilitate their inquiry and tracking of bills of lading, and help them get better and faster financing based on technologies like the Internet of Things, big data, and blockchain," he said.

Intelligent applications in ports

Jointly built by China and Singapore, the ILSTC highlights the prominent role of Singapore Port, 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).

During the live stream on July 18, Tan Liang Hui, assistant vice president of PSA Tuas Port Development, explained that Singapore's limited land and sea areas allow Tuas Port to apply many advanced terminal construction technologies, aiming to build a sustainable terminal in the future.

With over 50 locations in 26 countries, PSA has extensive experience in container terminal operation, investment, and management. A look at Singapore's port construction and the smart port's development can provide ideas for port construction in Chongqing, helping China's ports reach a world-class level.

In the case of Chongqing, Zhang introduced one of the following priorities: the Waterless Port, Chongqing's important freight distribution hub, which focuses on innovative applications in terms of efficiency and cost. "We are considering building smart gates at the land port and smart yards linked to online data to reduce inefficient logistics time," he said. "By making online reservations for entry and exit, trucks can be tracked online throughout the entire process and avoid congestion."

According to Zhang, with the ILSTC's digital and intelligent future in view, they will work together to build trade, financial, and industrial supply chain service platforms and advance the digital economy through a wide range of digital applications by combining data assets and applications from the ILSTC.

(Zhu Qinzhuo and Li Yan, as interns, also contributed to this report.)