LOGISTICS
Xi’an,thestartingpointoftheancientSilkRoad,andothercitiesalongtheroutearenowdoingtheirutmosttoquickenthepaceoftransnationallogisticsdevelopmentinEurasia.
Centuriesago,theoldSilkRoadlinkingEuropewithAsiawasahothouseforcommunicationandexchangesamongdifferentcivilizations.Buttheancientcamelbellsandsmokespiralsalongithavelongsincebeenreplacedbytrainwhistlesandvaportrails.Xi’an,provincialcapitalofShaanxiandstartingpointoftheancientSilkRoad,andothercitiesalongtheroute,arenowdoingtheirutmosttoquickenthepaceoftransnationallogisticsdevelopmentinEurasia.
Two-thirdsTransitTimeReduction
InMarch2016,aplaneloadedwithEuropeancommoditiestookofffromAmsterdamonadirectflighttoXi’an’sXianyangInternationalAirport.ThisairroutelinkingcountriesinEurasiaispartofChina’sfirstcross-bordere-commercenon-stoptrainair-truck(TAT)combinedtransportationmode.Inthesamemonth,adirectflightfollowingtheSilkRoadroutefromXi’antoAlma-atawentintooperation,soaddinganewaircorridorbetweenShaanxiProvinceandCentralAsia.
ChenJianmin,managerofacross-borderecommerceenterprise,hadorderedsomeofthecommoditiesarrivingonthisflight.“Airtransportisidealformerchandisewithashortshelf-life,suchasfoodandskin-careproducts,andthoseofhighervaluelikeelectronicsproducts.Inthepast,foreigngoodshadtopassthroughcustomsinBeijing,GuangzhouorChongqingbeforebeingtransferredtoXi’an.Thewholeprocessnormallytookaround96hours.Thenewglobal‘overseaswarehouses+TATcombinedtransport’freightmodelcutsthetransittimebytwothirds.Soitnowtakesabout10hoursforcommoditiestoreachtheNetherlandsfromotherEuropeancountriesbyrailorroad,and11hoursforthoseonadirectflightfromAmsterdamtoXi’an,plusthetwotothreehourstransittoforeigncargowharfstoundergocustomsclearanceprocedures.”
TheconveniencerenderedbytheShaanxiinternationalairlogisticsharborcompelledChentoregisteraglobalcommerceandtradecompanyandrenta500sq.m.bondedwarehouseneartheXi’an-Xianyangbondedlogisticscenter.The“shopsupfrontandwarehousesattheback”modeofbusinesstheresaveshimbothtimeandenergy,andreduceshiscompanyrunningexpensesbyaround30percent.
HeJian,headofthemanagementcommitteeinthenewairportarea,toldthereporterthattheShaanxiinternationalairlogisticsharborcomprisesfivefunctionalareas.Theyare:abondedlogisticspark,aSilkRoade-commercepark,anairlogisticswarehousepark,anairgoodsallocationzone,andaservicezone.Ithasmoreoverattracted23commerciallogisticscompanies,includingtheinternationalfirmsMapletreeandGlobalLogisticsProperties.OnJuly8,2016,itwasselectedas“nationaldemonstrativelogisticspark”–anaccoladethatissuretogeneratemoregovernmentsupportasregardsinvestment,landallocation,andplanning.
FreightTrainsInwardandOutward
“There’sbeenaninfluxofChinesecommoditiessincetheChinaexpresstrainwentintooperation.Atpresent,wedealinmorethan500types.LocalresidentsareespeciallykeenonChineseseasoningsandsnackfoods.Milkflavoredteaandoolongteaarealsoverypopular,”ownerofaChinesesupermarketinAlma-ata–economicandculturalcenteroftheRepublicofKazakhstanandthebiggestcityincentralAsia–Yelenasaid.
TheChinaexpresstrainshementionedhasinterconnectedEuropeanandAsiancountriesalongtheBeltandRoadroutessince2013,whentheBeltandRoadInitiativewasfirstproposed.March19,2011sawthedepartureofthefirstChina-Europe(Asia)expresstrainfromChongqingboundforEurope.Later,containertrainspulledoutfromChengdu,Zhengzhou,Wuhan,Suzhou,Yiwu,Xi’an,andnineotherChinesecitiestowardscentralAsiaandEurope.Statisticsshowthatin2016alone,atotal1,702trainstravelingfromChinatoEuropeandCentralAsiawereinoperation,including572thatdidroundtrips.
Theexpresstrain(calledChang’an)thatstartsfromXi’anandheadstowardsEuropeandCentralAsiamadeitsmaidenjourneyfromXi’antoAlma-AtainKazakhstan,viaBaoji,Urumqi,andAlashankou,onNovember28,2013.Althoughalatestarter,theChang’anExpressismakingrapidprogress.Itnowhasfourlines,twotocentralAsia(Xi’an-Alma-Ata,Xi’an-ZheminKazakhstan)andfourtoEurope(Xi’anRotterdam,Xi’an-Warsaw,Xi’an-Hamburg,andXi’an-Moscow).Thegoodstheycarryrangefromrawmaterialstomechanicalequipment,industrialcomponents,constructionmaterials,food,andlightindustrialproducts.Owingtogrowingfreightdemandsthefrequencyofthesetrainshassinceincreasedfromonceamonthtotwoorthreetimesaweek.
OnMarch26,2016,theXi’anAijuGrainandOilIndustryGroupimported2,300tonsofvegetableoil(rapeseedandsunflowerseedoil)fromDostyk,KazakhstantoXi’aninternationalairport.ThismarkedthefirsttimetheChang’anExpresshadreturnedtoChinawithafullload.
Previously,duetoimbalancesindemand,theChang’anExpresshadgenerallyreturnedemptyafterdeliveringfreighttocountriesalongtheSilkRoad
OnAugust18,2016,theXi’anWarsawexpresstraindepartsfromXi’an.CHINESEMEMPHIS
Xi’anisatthestartingpointoftheSilkRoad,soiswellonthewaytobecomingtheChineseMemphis.
EconomicBelt,HeCheng,theShaanxiofficedirectoroftheKazakhstanInternationalIntegrationFund,said.ButthefactisthatqualityproductsfromCentralAsiasuchaswheat,cookingoil,cotton,honey,andmineralscarryhugepriceandmarketadvantages.
“Kazakhstan’sblacksoilhasadepthof2.1meters,whichisgoodforgrowingcrops,”LiuDongmeng,vice-generalmanagerofXi’anAijuGroupsaid.ShealsorevealedthattheAijuGroupistosetupanagriculturalcooperativein2017,andthatthegovernmentofNorthKazakhstanProvincewillexpandthepresentplantingareaofhighqualitywheatandrapeseedto1.5millionmu.Thiswillmakerealityanoperationmodelcomprisingimportedrawmaterials,preliminaryprocessingabroad,anddeepprocessinginChina.“ThefirstphaseofthefarmproductsprocessingparkprojectthatwebuiltinKazakhstanhasgoneintooperation,andiswarmlywelcomedinNorthKazakhstanProvince,”Liusaid.
StreamlinedEurasianLogistics
AsLuShanbing,executivevice-presidentoftheInstituteofSilkRoadStudiesinNorthwestUniversity,ShaanxiProvince,remarked,“Shaanxioffersagoodfoundationfortheaviationindustry,andXi’anXianyangInternationalAirportisoneofChina’seightmajorairportterminals.Meanwhile,Xi’anisatthestartingpointoftheSilkRoad,soiswellonthewaytobecomingtheChineseMemphis.”LuwasreferringtothesouthwesternU.S.A.cityofMemphis,whichhasexploitedtothefullitsuniquegeographicallocationtobecomeaNorthAmericanlogisticscenter.
“ThetradevolumebetweenChinaandKazakhstanhashitRMB25billion,butthat’sbynomeansthelimit.Thereiseverypossibilityoftakingittoanewhigh,”SerkanfromtheBeijingofficeofKAZNEXCorporationforExportDevelopmentandPromotiontoldus.“TheChina-Europe(Asia)railwayexpresswillenhanceeconomicdevelopmentincountriesalongtheroutes,andpromoteregionaleconomiccooperation.Itwillalsohelppromotemutualunderstandingbetweendifferentcivilizations.Itisagreatundertakingforallnationsoftheworld.”
“ShaanxiishubformajorinternationaltransportflowsontheEurasianLandBridge.CoordinatingtheworkofitslandportsandairportswilltakedevelopmentofChina’sforeigntradeandChinesecitiestoanewlevel,”saidMassimov,vice-directorofaUNacademicinstitutioninKazakhstan.
Xi’an’slandportsandairportsarenowgivingfullplaytotheiruniqueadvantagesbycooperatingtowardsbreakthroughlinksbetweenChina’sinlandmarketsandtheEurasiancontinent.Together,theyaimtocollaborateinbuildinginXi’ananopeneconomythatwilltakethecitytonewheights.