Lianyungang, Jiangsu: China Europe Express Helps Central Asian Countries "Embrace" the Sea

Xinhua News Agency, Nanjing, September 17th (Reporter Lu Huadong, Zhu Cheng, Dai Xiaohe) Kazakhstan, located in Central Asia, is the world's largest landlocked country, and the sea was once the aspiration of young Kazakhstanians along the Mahe River. In 2022, he came to work at the China Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) logistics cooperation base on the coast of the Yellow Sea. For over a year, he has witnessed firsthand the China Europe trains traveling through the base and the continuously rising logistics data, and can't help but feel the dream come true.
China Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base is the first economic and trade cooperation entity project launched after the "the Belt and Road" initiative was put forward. Since its inception in 2014, it has continuously improved infrastructure and improved management level, and has become a platform for transit transportation, warehousing logistics and trade between Central Asian countries. From January to August this year, Lianyungang operated a total of 418 (including inbound and outbound) China Europe trains, a year-on-year increase of 6%; Ship 40930 TEUs, an increase of 2338 TEUs year-on-year.
Nowadays, over 80% of the daily consumer goods imported by Kazakhstan through China, as well as the advantageous trade commodities such as mineral products and grains exported, are distributed and distributed through the Lianyungang Port, opening a window for its development of cross-border cooperation. The railway, road, and sea transportation networks of the two countries are intertwined, forming a huge logistics system. Through this system, high-quality agricultural products, minerals, and other commodities from Kazakhstan can be quickly transported to China, while industrial products from China can also be continuously transported to Central Asian countries, "Ma Hejiang said.
On the electronic screen of the digital dispatch center of the base, the destination, source, and cargo information of the China Europe (Central Asia) trains departing and arriving from Lianyungang are clear and dynamically updated. With the help of an intelligent remote control system, the efficiency of container loading and unloading operations at the base has been significantly improved, greatly saving labor costs. "said Zuo Xuemei, General Manager of Lianyungang Zhongha International Logistics Co., Ltd.
More than ten kilometers away from the Sino Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) logistics cooperation base, vehicles continue to flow in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Lianyungang) International Logistics Park, and industries such as modern logistics, new materials, and new energy are steadily developing.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Lianyungang) International Logistics Park is one of the few comprehensive port logistics parks in China that can simultaneously utilize multiple intermodal transportation modes such as sea transportation, river transportation, and rail transportation to achieve rapid distribution of goods. Last year, the opening of the logistics park to Tashkent International Road Rail intermodal freight train was of great significance in opening up the southern route of the New Eurasian Land Bridge, "said Li Haitao, General Manager of Lianyungang Yuangang Logistics Co., Ltd.

In order to improve the quality and efficiency of operation, in recent years, Lianyungang's China Europe freight train operation model has been continuously innovated, introducing a "bonded+export" cargo container hybrid mode, utilizing the idle space of export containers to allow small batches of goods to "ride on the ride"; Innovating the zero waiting mode of "vehicle and ship direct pickup" can save 75% of transit operation time and 60% of related costs.
The efficient and convenient China Europe freight train is becoming a widely acclaimed international public product, "said Yu Wujun, General Manager of China Railway Container Transport Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch. Nowadays, China Europe freight train transportation products have expanded to products such as building materials, home furnishings, grains, minerals, mechanical equipment, photovoltaic, and automobiles, cultivating and forming characteristic special trains such as ferroalloy, cotton yarn, coil steel, and potassium fertilizer.
Recently, 50 vehicles of books produced by South Korea were transferred through Lianyungang and transported to Uzbekistan via the China Europe freight train. This is the result of this year's "Lianyungang Seoul International Logistics Service Promotion Conference" cooperation, adding new goods to the transportation of Lianyungang China Europe freight train, and more new cooperation is currently under negotiation.
"This year, Lianyungang China Europe Express continues to show a good momentum of both quantity and quality. In the future, the railway department will increase the route layout and transport capacity allocation of Lianyungang China Europe Express, continue to strengthen the seamless connection of logistics chain networks such as trains, ports, routes, etc., unblock the land sea intermodal transport routes, accelerate the cross-border flow of factor resources, and inject strong impetus into the high-quality co construction of the" the Belt and Road "." Chen Jun, Director of Lianyungang Business Department of Xuzhou Freight Center of China Railway Shanghai Bureau Group Co., Ltd.
Connecting mountains and seas, running in both directions. The flying China Europe Express is injecting a continuous stream of power into Lianyungang's efforts to create a window for east-west integration and an international cooperation hub. (Video: Xia Peng, Wei Kexin)