By Yuling Chen, EDITOR
On March 3, the Chongqing Delegation held a plenary session and decided to propose the Second Session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) make “New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC)” a national strategic project. Moreover, China's top legislative session this year opened on March 5 during its two sessions.
Chongqing Guoyuan Port
Running through the hinterland of West China, ILSTC connects the Silk Road Economic Belt in the north. And it also links the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in the south. It joins the Yangtze River Economic Belt, with Chongqing and Singapore as “dual hubs”.
With efficient linkages between multiple forms including the railway, waterway, highway, and aviation, the main axes of ILSTC have formed. They run throughout Northwest and Southwest China and link West China and the ASEAN countries (regions). ILSTC has thus realized the organic connection with international channels in Central Europe and Central Asia.
There has been a complete loop of the “Belt and Road” Initiative through Western China, generating a global connectivity network. The construction of ILSTC provides important support for developing a new pattern of opening-up of China Western Development. It is also a strategic channel connecting the “Belt and Road” Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Additionally, it is also a significant carrier for promoting the higher-level development of China-ASEAN regional economic cooperation.
In September 2017 and April 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping met twice with Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore. In the two meetings, Xi Jinping pointed out the necessity of constructing ILSTC. In November 2018, witnessed by Premier Li Keqiang, China and New Zealand formally signed a memorandum. It was the MOU on Construction Cooperation of the “New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor” under the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity. In August 2018, Vice Premier Han Zheng attended the first Smart China Expo in Chongqing. At the expo, he proposed to strengthen the top-level design research on the “Southern Transport Corridor”.
Three main organizational forms of ILSTC logistics
International Through Railway Transport
Relying on main lines of railway in western China connecting the Indochina Peninsula countries, the international through railway transport starts from Chongqing and other places and goes through China’s key border ports including Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province, connecting Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and other countries.
International Rail-Sea Intermodal Transport
With Chongqing as the operation center and transportation hub, the corridor uses ports in Guangxi's Beibu Gulf to reach ports in Singapore and other ASEAN countries and links China-Europe freight trains through Alashankou/Horgos.
Cross-Border Road Transport
Relying on the highways connecting the Indochina Peninsula countries in the western part of China, the cross-border road transport starts from Chongqing and other places, through the key border ports of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province, connecting Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and other countries.
Through the “Chongqing-Guizhou-Guangxi-Singapore” Rail-Sea Intermodal Passage, 657 trains have regularly run per day. Its total value has reached about RMB 4.02 billion. The year of 2018 saw the dispatching of 609 trains. With basically-balanced imports and exports, the goods are delivered to 71 countries and 155 ports worldwide like Singapore. With a total value of about RMB 740 million, Chongqing-ASEAN Highway Regular Lorry has achieved 661 departures (505 in 2018). The service network has extended from Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar to Thailand (Bangkok), Cambodia (Phnom Penh), Malaysia and Singapore. The Chongqing-Hanoi international railway transport has dispatched 55 trains, with a total value of about RMB 580 million. The three organizational forms of logistics have all realized normal operation. Moreover, they have organically connected with China Railway Express (Chongqing), generating a complementary and coordinated development pattern.
Source: Chongqing Daily
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