New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor facilitates flow of commodities between Chongqing and the world

In August 2019, China's National Development and Reform Commission issued an overall plan on the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. Over the past five years, the corridor has expanded its reach to 523 ports in 124 countries and regions of the world.

On the morning of July 8, a China-Laos-Thailand international cold-chain freight train arrived at the Xiaonanya station in Jiangjin district, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

The containers, filled with bananas, were loaded in and departed from Vientiane South Station in Vientiane, Laos, in the early hours of July 2. The bananas would be distributed to various districts and counties in Chongqing, as well as neighboring provinces such as Sichuan and Hunan.

An aerial drone photo taken on May 5, 2024 shows trucks running at the dry port of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. [Xinhua/Huang Wei]

Since the beginning of this year, the cross-border cold-chain freight train service between Chongqing and ASEAN has been operating regularly in both directions. The cold-chain freight trains use specially made refrigerated containers, maintaining a temperature of around 15 degrees Celsius inside.

Through the service, high-quality fruits such as durian and mangosteen from ASEAN countries can reach Chongqing fresh, while Chongqing specialties can also more conveniently go abroad.

By June 2024, the multimodal transport of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor covered 72 cities in 18 provinces, regions and municipalities in China, transporting 1,157 types of commodities.

More commodities get on board

Behind the launch of the cold-chain freight train service are the relentless efforts of logistics professionals.

"We need to get this train running, build its reputation, make ASEAN countries aware of it, attract commodities, and ensure its sustainable development," said Li Zhaobang, chairman of the Chongqing New Land-sea Supply Chain Co., Ltd.

Laos and other Southeast Asian countries have a thriving banana industry, and China has a high demand for bananas. Bananas are low in value, low in transportation risk, and grow year-round, making them an ideal staple commodity, Li explained.

The company formed a specialized team, identified large-scale banana plantations in Laos, and organized on-site inspections.

"The Laotian fruit farmers were enthusiastic about utilizing the cold-chain freight train service," Li recalled. "One individual even agreed to utilize the service without requiring a deposit. We only made the payment after the bananas arrived in Chongqing," Li explained.

The cold-chain freight train service is popular due to its advantages, which include fast and cost-effective cross-border railway transportation and specially designed refrigerated containers.

Careful scheduling ensures smooth, efficient operation

"For the route from Vientiane to Mohan port, southwest China's Yunnan Province, the train ran on the China-Laos Railway. For the domestic segment from Mohan to Chongqing, we needed to guide the logistics company to choose the most suitable transportation route on the official website of China Railway Express Co., Ltd.," said Zhou Xiaojuan from the Xiaonanya station.

"Upon its arrival at Xiaonanya, we notified the logistics company immediately and assigned dedicated personnel to monitor the loading and unloading process in real-time," said Zhou.

With four hours left before the train arrived, station dispatcher Tao Yong at Xiaonanya was already starting to monitor its progress.

"Upon the train's arrival, we carefully verified information such as the departure station and consignees, and the freight office immediately organized the unloading and distribution of goods to improve efficiency," Tao said.

The train arrived on time under efficient transportation management.

Train returns loaded with locally produced lemons

After unloading the bananas, the containers were promptly filled with lemons from Leishu Fruit Co., Ltd. in Tongnan district, Chongqing. The lemons were destined for Thailand via the same route.

Tongnan district's ideal conditions for lemon cultivation make it a prime location for growing this fruit, which is popular in ASEAN countries. With the cold-chain freight train service ensuring freshness, Chongqing lemons are now able to reach international markets.

This time, Leishu Fruit Co., Ltd. shipped 28 tonnes of fresh lemons to Thailand using the cold-chain freight train service.

Chongqing is exporting its lemons, oranges, and pre-made dishes through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. In the first half of this year, Chongqing's freight volume through the corridor increased by 54 percent year on year, with a total value of goods reaching 23.19 billion yuan (about $3.26 billion).