Chongqing - The Third Session of the Inter-Provincial Joint Conference on Consultation and Cooperation of New International Land-sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) took place at the Chongqing Yuelai International Conference Center on November 1.
Officials from state departments, state-owned enterprises, and various provinces are poised to revolutionize trade from western China to the shores of the Beibu Gulf and beyond.
ILSTC has launched a rail-sea intermodal train to Africa. (Photo/ Huang Wei)
Regions to leverage local strengths to propel ILSTC development
The construction of ILSTC is teamed up by "13 + 2" regions, provinces, and cities, including western China, Hainan Province, Zhanjiang City in Guangdong Province, and Huaihua City in Hunan Province. Each region has spoken up about how to use its local resources and location perks to push the project forward during the conference.
Hu Henghua, Deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China Chongqing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Chongqing, said that the "13 + 2" regions strive to build this economic and trade passageway, aiming to move more goods around, give foreign trade a facelift, and get industries working together better. They are also planning to upgrade the services along the corridor, like simplifying customs procedures, reducing transport costs, and digitizing the corridor, with Chongqing leading logistics and organizing the operations.
Container loading and unloading operation site at Beibu Gulf Port, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. (Photo/Lao Guangwei)
Guangxi is a key player because it is where the corridor hits the sea. They plan to level up the infrastructure, like erecting railway projects and connecting high-speed rails. They're also planning to beef up the Beibu Gulf, making it a gateway to the ocean with big port and shipping projects and opening up new sea routes to Europe and America.
Yunnan is at the starting line of the China-Laos Railway. They're looking to connect the ILSTC with the border railway by speeding up the China-Thailand Railway and converging with the China-Laos Railway, making moves on the China-Myanmar Railway, and improving their linkup with Vietnam.
National departments and leading state-owned enterprises rally behind ILSTC expansion
National departments and big state-owned companies are supporting this project. The General Administration of Customs is devising 15 moves to support the corridor and is looking to work more closely with customs from Singapore, Vietnam, and other ASEAN countries. The China Railway is also in on this, planning to beef up railway corridors.
COFCO Corporation, a leader in the Chinese agricultural industry, is looking to knit together a network of logistics hubs along the corridor. They're eyeing up imports, planning to build the whole food import process from docks to delivery.
The conference also examined some documents about the corridor's future direction. A standout was the "13+N" program, which involves building modern infrastructure logistics, expanding to international and domestic markets, and setting high market standards. Participants are also pushing for greener, safer development and better cooperation mechanisms.
The program describes how to level the development by working together across regions and fields and sharing the wins. Yang Lin, Director of the Port and Logistics Office of Chongqing Municipal People's Government, mentioned that the program's direction aligns with how modern industry and supply chains should collaborate, boosting collaboration along the corridor.