The 8th Anniversary Of The -Belt And Road International Interconnection Level Continues To Improve

The No. 7 and No. 8 berth automated container terminal in the southern operation area of Dalanping Port Area, Qinzhou Port, Beibu Bay, Guangxi, is the world's first automated terminal with a "U"-shaped process layout and the country's first sea-rail intermodal automated container terminal. Currently, the wharf hydraulic renovation, storage yard renovation and housing construction projects are nearing completion, and the equipment part is entering the commissioning stage. Guo Zhangquan, assistant to the general manager of the Technology Department of Beibu Gulf Port Co., Ltd., introduced: “The main equipment, 5 automated dual-trolley quay cranes, 6 rail cranes, and 15 IGVs have all arrived on duty, and they have all been commissioned. Next step We will complete the subsequent shipment and installation of the remaining equipment, as well as the entire software and hardware commissioning. It is expected that the commissioning of the entire project equipment will be completed by the end of this year."

The Western Land-Sea New Corridor is a new land-sea trade channel created by the cooperation between China's western provinces and Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore. This channel connects with the China-Europe express trains to and from Asia and Europe, making positive contributions to the high-quality co-construction of the "Belt and Road". Qinzhou is the core port city of Beibu Gulf in Guangxi, and an important node connecting land and sea in the new western land-sea channel. In order to ensure the rapid customs clearance of goods in the new western land-sea channel and the efficient operation of the sea-rail combined transport system, Guangxi Qinzhou Port Customs and the port affairs department have launched a series of reform measures to continuously improve the facilitation level of manifest transmission. Liang Tong, Associate Director of the Trade and Logistics Development Bureau of the Management Committee of the Qinzhou Port Area of China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone, introduced: “The Qinzhou Port East Station now runs more than 10 rail-sea intermodal trains every day. At the same time, Qinzhou Port Container The number of liner routes has reached 48, achieving full coverage of major ports in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia and basic domestic ports."

Since China promoted the construction of the new western land-sea corridor in 2019, various tasks have been advanced in an orderly manner. Especially since 2020, local governments and related enterprises along the route have overcome the adverse effects of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and the construction of the corridor has maintained a strong growth momentum. In 2020, a total of 4,607 rail-sea intermodal trains in the Beibu Gulf will be operated, a year-on-year increase of 105%. There were 1,264 cross-border trains between China and Vietnam, a year-on-year increase of 23.2%. Beibu Gulf Port completed a container throughput of 5.05 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 32.2%; Yangpu Port completed a container throughput of 1.02 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 43.9%.

While the construction of the new western land-sea corridor is actively advancing, in recent years, the number of China-Europe express trains has continued to increase, and the role of strategic corridors has become more prominent. Data shows that the China-Europe freight train has accumulated more than 40,000 trains, opened 73 operating routes, reached more than 160 cities in 23 European countries, and transported more than 50,000 goods, which effectively guaranteed the stability and smooth flow of the international industrial chain supply chain. Promote regional common development and add more momentum to the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" cooperation. The former Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Rashid Alimov, said: “The China-Europe Express train travels through Central Asia and Russia to reach Rotterdam. It is a very inclusive and open project. The relevant figures can prove this. In 2020, the most difficult for us, the number of China-Europe Express trains will be nearly 12,500. Compared with the previous year, the total volume of cargo transportation has increased. It’s 56%, which is a big improvement."

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the China-Europe Railway Express has also opened up the "passage of life" and has delivered a total of 12.8 million anti-epidemic materials and 99,000 tons to European countries, making positive contributions to international anti-epidemic cooperation.

Over the past eight years, the level of international connectivity under the “Belt and Road” initiative has continued to improve. At present, the structure of "six corridors, six routes, multiple countries and multiple ports" has basically taken shape, and a large number of cooperative projects have taken root. Infrastructure connectivity continues to deepen. Positive progress has been made in China-Laos Railway, China-Thailand Railway, Hungary-Serbia Railway, and Jakarta-Bandung High-speed Railway. Cooperative ports such as Gwadar Port and Hambantota Port have been well constructed and operated. The construction of the Sino-Russian East Route natural gas pipeline is progressing steadily.

The connectivity of facilities also allows people in countries related to the “Belt and Road” to feel a real sense of participation and gain. In Kenya, the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway built by a Chinese company connects the capital Nairobi with the port city of Mombasa and is known as the country’s "Project of the Century." The completion of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has created nearly 50,000 jobs for the local area, driving economic growth by 1.5%. Mwincha, former vice chairman of the African Union and chairman of the African Union’s “One Belt, One Road” construction committee, said: “In Africa, the biggest challenge affecting trade is transportation. The transportation cost can reach 40% of the product. %, the impact on the promotion of trade in Africa will be apparent. Now it is possible to transport goods from China to Europe by land and rail, which promotes the economies of countries along the route. Africa also wants to be a part of it."