STORY: Trade corridor fuels western China's development through enhanced global connectivity
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Oct. 19, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:43
LOCATION: NANNING, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): SONG HAITAO, General Manager of Shenggang Terminal Co., Ltd., Guangxi
3. various of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor

STORYLINE:

The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, jointly built by provincial-level regions in western China and ASEAN members, has expanded its reach to 523 ports in 124 countries and regions.

With its operational hub based in China's Chongqing, this trade corridor connects global ports via railways, sea routes and highways through southern Chinese provincial regions such as Guangxi and Yunnan.

According to the coordination center for logistics and operation of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, more than 30,000 China-Europe freight trains had operated via the trade corridor by early August this year.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): SONG HAITAO, General Manager of Shenggang Terminal Co., Ltd., Guangxi
"As you can see, there was originally a fence that separated the central railway station from the port. This fence was removed in June 2023, which means that the port and railway are seamlessly connected, achieving integrated connectivity and management. This also significantly improved the efficiency of trans-shipment between the railway and the dock."

A landmark project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), this corridor is seen as key for accelerating the large-scale development of China's western region. 

Over the past five years, the variety of goods transported through the trade corridor has expanded from over 80 types to more than 1,150 types, covering a wide range of categories, including electronic products, small household appliances and food. 

The trade corridor has now achieved a near balance between inbound and outbound shipments.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nanning, China.
(XHTV)