Chongqing - A special train with 80 containers, including laptops, machinery parts, chemicals, and various goods, recently started its journey on the New International Land-sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC).

From Chongqing in Southwest China, the journey ends at Qinzhou Port in Guangxi in two days. The cargo will then be transferred to a freighter for shipping to various destinations, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, and Mozambique.

The inter-provincial collaboration conference on the ILSTC convened in Nanning, Guangxi, on March 11. It provided updates on the corridor's progress in 2023 and outlined plans for 2024.

According to the conference, collaborative efforts led to significant achievements for the ILSTC in 2023. Integration of its three primary logistic modes—rail-sea transport, international railways, and cross-border road transport—has boosted the scale and efficiency of transport operations.

Focusing on Chongqing, the city reported transporting 180,000 TEUs via the ILSTC in 2023, marking a 21% increase from the previous year. The total value of these goods reached approximately 28 billion yuan (USD 3.89 billion), up 16% year-over-year. These figures represented nearly 30% of the ILSTC's transport volume and cargo value.

Moreover, the ILSTC saw continued improvements in service quality last year, including progress in customs clearance processes. The coming five years will be crucial for the corridor's sustainable growth and enhanced development quality.

The Chongqing Port and Logistics Office is committed to advancing the ILSTC in collaboration with various departments. Efforts will concentrate on collaborative research to enhance logistics integration, support corridor growth, foster efficient industrial clusters, and develop digital corridor infrastructure.