China's new western land-sea corridor boosts international transport capacity

China's General Administration of Customs reported on Tuesday that in the first 10 months of 2024, customs oversaw 6,525 China-Laos Railway runs and 1,700 China-Vietnam Railway runs, each showing substantial year-on-year growth, highlighting the expanded international rail transport capacity of the new western land-sea corridor.

In the first 10 months, 6,525 China-Laos railway runs were recorded — rising 36.5 per cent year-on-year, while 1,700 China-Vietnam railway runs were recorded, up 47 percent from the previous year. Overall, operational efficiency of the rail services increased by more than 60 percent, Xinhua reported.

In the first 10 months, China's total imports and exports via the new western land-sea corridor amounted to 1.15 trillion yuan ($157 billion), which expanded by 8.8 percent year-on-year, exceeding the national average growth rate by 3.6 percentage points, with the corridor's operational quality and efficiency continuously improving, according to Chinese customs.

More of western China's specialty agricultural products have reached international markets. According to customs data, exports of agricultural goods along the new western land-sea corridor totaled 26.88 billion yuan in the first 10 months, marking a 12.3 percent year-on-year increase.

Key exports include flowers from Southwest China's Yunnan Province, lemons from Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, and wine from Northwest China's Gansu Province.

"Our land-sea corridor focuses on Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea, partially offsetting trade declines with the US and Europe while opening up new trade opportunities. Most lines along the corridor support both freight and high-speed passenger services on routes like the one to Laos," Sun Zhang, a railway expert at Shanghai Tongji University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Sun noted that in the past, China's central and western regions were landlocked, with limited transportation options and no seaports. "Now, we've established direct links between these regions and the Beibu Gulf. With seaport access, the country's central and western regions are now better positioned for enhanced international engagement," he said.

In the future, trade routes are expected to expand further, with Latin America anticipated to be a significant area of growth for maritime trade, Sun noted.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the new western land-sea transportation corridor plan. Over the past years, the new western land-sea corridor has developed three key transport modes: rail-sea intermodal, international rail, and cross-border buses.

Starting from Chongqing, the corridor now connects over 120 countries and 542 ports, with more than 30,000 train runs operated and expanding goods categories from 80 to 1,160. It drives growth in China's west region and creates new opportunities for BRI partner countries.