By Mikkel Larsen, Yiling Wang, iChongqing

International Logistics is at the forefront of Chongqing's development plans, and on a recent visit to Chongqing, President Xi Jinping proposed that the city of Chongqing should take a leading role in the promotion and development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Chongqing is located at the intersection of the BRI and the Yangtze River Economic Zone and is uniquely situated to develop and make use of both. Chongqing is also the starting point for the new International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, spanning from Chongqing in Southwest China to Singapore and further down to the ASEAN countries participating in the BRI. Chongqing is thereby solidifying its position and a transportation hub not only in China but in Asia and the world.

Chongqing has created large scale logistics channels expanding North, South, East, and West, making use of four major logistics projects, most notably the China-Europe Railway Express and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC), both of which have already achieved remarkable results.

The Yuxinou International Railway Corridor starts in Chongqing and goes westward through Xinjiang Province to Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland and arrives at Duisburg in Germany where goods can be transported via trucks to customers to Belgium, the Netherlands and the rest of Europe.  It is an 11.000-kilometer long journey that takes approximately 13 days to complete. Yuxinou is one of the core transportations channels that make up the Belt and Road Initiative.

On this episode of A New Corridor for New Energy, we are going to take a closer look at one of the leading operators, YPL, of the China-Europe Railway Express, also referred to as Yuxinou International Railway Corridor. (渝 Yu is an old name for the city of Chongqing, 新 Xin is part of the Name of Xinjiang, a Western Province of China where the Railway passes through, and 欧 Ou, is part of the Chinese name for Europe). YPL is a joint venture between New Europe (Chongqing) Supply Chain Management Co. Ltd. and Singapore Huantong Logistics Group with a registered capital of $20 million.

YPL relies on the new China-Europe Express Railway international multimodal transport channel and has established long-term cooperation with the New Europe (Chongqing) Supply Chain Management to provide their clients with full-container Load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL) shipping services from Chongqing to Europe, leaving every Thursday and Saturday. YPL's service rates and high-quality transportation models do them an ideal service for shipping good between China and Europe as they have significantly reduced the travel time, requiring only 13 days to reach Europe, saving 30 days compared to River-and Sea coordinated transportation, and approximately 80% cheaper than air-freight.

Traditionally, customs declarations would have to be filled out and submitted for each country the goods pass through, but through cooperation between the customs administrations in the countries along the routes, customs declarations can be filed once in Chongqing, covering the whole journey. YPL also cooperates with major airlines and operates weekly flights from Chongqing to Frankfurt, Germany, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

YPL is one of the cornerstones of the China-Europe Express Railway and also a vital partner in the development and the success of the International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, and the Yuxinou International Logistics Corridor is a foundation project of the Belt and Road Initiative.