China's largest inland port aspires to be NE Asia trade hub

Manzhouli, China's largest inland port, located in northern Inner Mongolia, aspires to become a regional trade, processing and manufacturing center for Northeast Asia, said a local top official.

The port will be built into a regional center for international trade, tourism, processing and production for imports and exports, energy development and logistics, said Wang Wei, secretary of the Manzhouli municipal committee of the Communist Party of China, on Monday.

In August, the State Council, China's Cabinet, officially approved the construction plan to make Manzhouli a key experimental area for development and opening up. It also passed similar plans for two other cities -- Dongxing in southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Ruili in southwestern Yunnan Province.

"Our current work focuses on seeking supporting policies, planning programs and attracting investment," said Wang.

The city of Manzhouli, located in the northeastern part of Inner Mongolia, borders Russia to the north and sits close to Mongolia to the west. More than 60 percent of trade between China and Russia passes through Manzhouli.

The city is building a free trade zone with an area of six square kilometers, according to the official. Six projects are currently under construction in the zone.

The city launched the construction of 120 projects in April, including an international timber trade center. Total investment in the projects has hit 65.8 billion yuan (about 10.5 billion U.S. dollars).

In the first three quarters of this year, cargo transported via the port reached 21 million tonnes, up 9.7 percent year on year, according to port authorities.

Manzhouli is a key stop on an international railway route that originates in the east China city of Suzhou and passes through Russia and Belarus before terminating in Poland.

The route, launched last week for China's cargo exports in the booming eastern region, will launch import services for China in the future.