Chongqing - Motorcycles manufactured by Chongqing-based Dechengwei Technology Co., Ltd. are embarking on a remarkable journey. Starting as individual components loaded onto the Chongqing Cross-Border Highway Regular Lorry of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC), the parts reach the company's factory in Mandalay, Myanmar, in just four days. After final assembly, the motorcycles are delivered to local consumers, completing their "mountains and seas" journey.

On October 11, 2023, the Chongqing Cross-Border Highway Regular Lorry, loaded with products such as laptop components and generator parts, departed from the Nanpeng Highway Bonded Logistics Center in Chongqing. (Photo/Huang Wei, Xinhua)

Dechengwei Technology, located in Hechuan District, Chongqing, is a high-tech enterprise specializing in motorcycle research and production. However, logistical challenges hindered its global expansion efforts for years.

"The logistics used to take too long, and the costs were high," said the company's general manager, Yang Heping. Southeast Asia presents a promising market for motorcycles, but previous exports to the region relied on traditional river-sea shipping routes, which took two months or more to complete.

In the fiercely competitive Southeast Asian motorcycle market, speed is critical. Every day a product is delayed, the time to supply customers increases, weakening its competitiveness.

The turning point came seven years ago. In September 2017, the predecessor of the ILSTC was launched in Chongqing. Two years later, in August 2019, China’s National Development and Reform Commission issued the overall plan for the ILSTC, elevating the initiative to a national strategy.

The ILSTC has enabled Dechengwei's products to swiftly reach overseas markets by significantly reducing the distance between Chongqing and Southeast Asia. 

“What once took two months now takes just four days, and this has opened up our presence in international markets almost overnight,” Yang Heping said.

According to the data, the corridor's reach has expanded over the past five years, from 166 ports in 71 countries and regions to 523 ports in 124 countries and regions. The variety of goods transported has increased from 80 categories to over 1,150.

On June 27, a cross-border railway freight train along the China-Laos-Thailand-Malaysia route of the ILSTC awaits departure at Xiaonanya Station in Jiangjin, Chongqing. (Photo/Tang Yi, Xinhua)

Behind the journey of a single motorcycle is the story of the ILSTC, now becoming a powerful international economic corridor.

Leveraging the corridor, exports of new energy vehicles made in western China are accelerating. This growth has facilitated companies like Changan and Seres to invest in building factories in Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, regional products such as Thai durians and Vietnamese basa fish are arriving in China faster than ever. Other projects, such as the Vientiane Modern Agricultural Industrial Park in collaboration with Laos and the China-Cambodia Banana Industrial Park, are also thriving.

“The Southeast Asian motorcycle market still holds enormous potential. We are planning to further expand into these markets, and with the support of the ILSTC, we are confident about the future,” said Yang Heping.

(The Chinese version of this report was contributed by Zhao Yufei, a reporter from Xinhua News.)