By Yuling Chen, EDITOR

The “New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor” (ILSTC) has become one of the China key projects in 2019，according to the newly released  Report on the Implementation of the 2018 Plan for National Economic and Social Development and on the 2019 Draft Plan for National Economic and Social Development.

The  ILSTC is extremely important for a new round of development and opening-up in Western China. In the Two Sessions this year, the Chongqing Delegation proposed that the ILSTC be identified as a national strategic project.

Chongqing Jiangjin regular train of New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (Photo by Zou Fei)

The ILSTC is the most convenient access to the sea in Western China. Under the promotion of President Xi Jinping for many times, it has run through the hinterland of China and connected the Indochina Peninsula, the ASEAN region, as well as Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar. It is also a strategic channel connecting the “Belt and Road” Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

After more than a year of operating, the ILSTC has now formed a pattern of complementary and coordinated development of three major logistics organization forms, namely, international rail-sea intermodal transportation, cross-border highway transportation, and international railway transportation.

Since the regular operation in September 2017, there have been 816 rail-sea trains operating via the ILSTC. The cargos, with more than 240 categories, have been imported or exported from 155 ports in 71 countries and regions of six continents.

At present, eight western provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Ningxia, have signed the framework agreement on jointly building the ILSTC.

For reaching a broader consensus on the construction of the ILSTC in Western China, CQCB initiated a special report during the Two Sessions this year. In addition to CQCB, eight influential media in seven provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in Western China also joined the initiative.

Source: CQCB

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