ASEAN trade corridor to help develop western areas

Multimodal network is making logistics more cost-effective and hassle-free

China is promoting a trade corridor featuring a multimodal transport network to boost socioeconomic development in western China and increase connections between China and economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The corridor, called the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, connects major inland cities in southwestern China, such as Chongqing municipality and Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, with coastal and border cities in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Cargo from inland China can be transported to the border and then shipped to ASEAN economies and then on to other parts of the world. Imports can also use the route to enter China.

With a multimodal transport network, including air, road, railway and sea, the corridor aims to provide a more cost-effective logistics choice for customers.

The corridor uses Chongqing and Chengdu as logistics hubs to connect with another important freight train passage, between China and Europe, which is a key project of the Belt and Road Initiative to connect Europe and northwestern China.

The corridor will also connect to regions in the Yangtze River Economic Belt via Chongqing and Chengdu.

The corridor, derived from a freight passage connecting Chongqing and Singapore that was established in 2017, has now become a State strategic project.

In August 2019, the National Development and Reform Commission issued a plan to promote the building of the corridor, telling government bodies and enterprises, including provincial governments, transport authorities and operators, to cooperate and draw up detailed plans.

The promotion of the corridor was written into proposals for China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) as a major project in November.