'Two Belts, One Road' Strategy Supports Chongqing Liangjiang New Area to Become Inland International Logistics Hub

CHONGQING, China, Oct. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The "two belts, one road" strategy, referring to plans to revitalize the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road raised by Chinese authorities, has brought new opportunities, not only for Chongqing, the heartland city in China, to transform its geo-economics, but also for global investors.

On Sept. 6, the first international parcels transported by the Trans-Eurasia International Railway arrived in Alma-Ata in the Republic of Kazakhstan from Chongqing. It was the first time that the railway had been used to transport international parcels. Moreover, Chongqing has become the first inland railway port station in China to transport international parcels.

2014 saw a surge in container throughput at the largest port on the inland rivers in China - Guoyuan Inland Port. There are sixteen 5,000-ton berths there. So far, the annual container throughput of the port has reached 400,000 TEUs.

Located on the transportation hub of Eurasia's international logistics, China, with its logistics infrastructure construction in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, its third national development and opening zone, has greatly promoted the communication and cooperation among these countries. Liangjiang New Area is one of the new focus zones for global industry transmission and for stimulating domestic demands, in a similar way to Shanghai Pudong New Area and Tianjin Binhai New Area.

The new area is located on the intersection of the Yangtze River and the Silk Road. It also contains the Trans-Eurasia International Railway, Cuntan Bonded Port and Guoyuan Inland Port. Thanks to its exceptional geographical advantages, the area always attracts international investors.

Today, Liangjiang New Area has become one of the most important investment destinations in inland China for transnational enterprises. The economic growth in the first half of the year was 15.1 percent, double the national level. The total import-export value from January to August 2014 - 226.5 billion yuan ($37 billion) - saw a 110 percent year-on-year increase. Specifically, export values reached 129.5 billion yuan (a 75.1 percent increase compared to 2013) and import values reached 97 billion yuan (a 170 percent increase). The improvement in the logistics infrastructure is providing investors from all over the world with new development opportunities.

External ports have played an important role in the opening up process. In the meantime, Chongqing Lianglu-Cuntan Bonded Ports Zone can handle 1,000 cargo containers of export goods with a value of more than 50 million dollars every day.

"In the past, only coastal areas and border areas could set up a bonded ports zone, but the setting up of inland bonded ports is an important step in the inland's opening up process," said a staff member of Lianglu-Cuntan Bonded Ports Zone.

The bonded ports zone will also speed up the innovation of the bonded commodities trade, cross border E-commerce in bonded port areas and offshore settlements.