New multimodal transport train route boosts China-ASEAN trade

The first cross-border freight train to feature the multimodal transport of agricultural products, which runs between China and Laos via Vietnam, departed from Nanning in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on May 13.

Loaded with 13 carriages of compound fertilizer, the train will cross the border at Pingxiang Checkpoint to Vietnam, and the rest of the journey from Vietnam to Laos will be conducted by road.

The cargo is scheduled to travel around 1,300 kilometers and arrive in Laos in four days to serve the local farming sector. 

The journey marks the opening of a new long-distance transport route featuring both railway and road and passing through two ASEAN countries, boosting bilateral trade between China and ASEAN and helping foster the new development paradigm of dual circulation, in which domestic and overseas markets reinforce each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay.

Paperless customs clearance has been applied at Pingxiang Checkpoint to cut down time costs. Also, the interior and exterior parts of the train were disinfected twice before leaving the Chinese border.

"The new route can save more than 10 days for us compared with the traditional marine transport, which may take at least half a month. The transport capacity can also increase by around 50 percent," said Wu Jie, deputy director of Sinotrans Guangxi.

The first cross-border freight train to feature multimodal transport of agricultural products, which runs between China and Laos via Vietnam, departs from Nanning in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on May 13. [Photo by Jiang Xuelin/China News Service]