Guoyuan Port is an important logistics hub of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. (Photo/Wang Yantong)

Chongqing - From January to October 2025, Chongqing moved 272,300 TEUs of cargo via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC), with a trade value of 48.96 billion yuan—up 33% and 27% year-on-year, respectively.

Centered in Chongqing, the ILSTC links 13 southwestern provinces and connects to ports across Guangxi’s coastal and border regions. Today, the corridor reaches more than 500 ports in over 120 countries and regions through combined rail, road, and maritime routes.

The ILSTC also works closely with other major logistics channels. By integrating with the China–Europe Railway Express, it has created a route connecting Southeast Asia to Europe, spanning Germany, Chongqing, Laos, Vietnam, and other countries. The corridor supports a wide range of industries—from automobiles to pharmaceuticals and electronics. Transport from Southeast Asia to Europe now takes 19 days, roughly 50% faster than traditional sea freight.

This cooperation has strengthened its distribution network. More than 40 overseas warehouses have been established across over 20 Eurasian countries and regions, including Germany, Hungary, Poland, Thailand, and Laos. Since its launch, the route’s cumulative cargo value has surpassed 1.9 billion yuan as of May 2025, according to a representative from Yuxinou (Chongqing) Logistics.

The ILSTC is also helping Chongqing businesses reach global markets. In Liangping District, for example, the corridor has become a key channel for exporting local “precooked food” products. Dedicated ILSTC routes now support the district’s push to build an integrated ecosystem covering logistics, digital networks, and industrial development.

Yuzhong District—though lacking direct rail or port access—has driven ILSTC growth through trade and financial services. By 2024, cross-border settlement volumes in Yuzhong exceeded 420 billion yuan. By the end of the same year, Chongqing as a whole had been fully incorporated into ILSTC construction.

As a major trade artery for both local enterprises and foreign companies entering the Chongqing market, the ILSTC’s next phase is closely watched. At the 2025 Forum on Economic Development Along ILSTC, held in Chongqing on November 12–13, industry leaders gathered to discuss future plans.

At the forum, Stéphane Graber, Director General of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA), stressed the need to accelerate digitalization to enhance the ILSTC’s competitiveness.

Digital upgrades are already underway. New Land-Sea Corridor Operation Co., Ltd., one of the corridor’s operating firms, is building a blockchain-based digital bill of lading platform designed to significantly reduce processing time and address the inefficiencies and risks associated with traditional paper-based bills of lading.