On December 9, the China-Europe Express (Qilu) "China-Laos International Express" started its first operation at the Qingdao Multimodal Transport Center in the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone ("Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone").
The train departs from the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone in China to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. It is another new route connecting Southeast Asia after the opening of the "Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone-Hanoi, Vietnam" line.
This train has a total of 50 TEUs, loaded with steel, tires, auto parts, daily necessities and other goods worth about 1.02 million U.S. dollars. They are dispatched by the Qingdao Multimodal Transport Center in the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone and transferred to the Mohan Port for exit. It is expected to arrive in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, in 7 days, which can save more than half of the transportation time compared to traditional shipping methods.
As China’s only demonstration zone for local economic and trade cooperation between the SCO countries and countries and regions along the “Belt and Road”, the SCO Demonstration Zone has been approved for establishment in 2018 and has opened 24 international and domestic trains, including "Japan, South Korea, land and sea". 15 international trains such as "Express Line", "Lu-Europe Express Line" and "Shanghai Cooperation Express Line" connect to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and 48 cities in 20 countries and regions along the "Belt and Road".
According to statistics from Jiaozhou Customs, from January to November this year, the Qingdao Multimodal Transport Center in the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone opened a total of 524 China-Europe freight trains, a year-on-year increase of nearly 50%.
(Reporter Hu Yaojie produced Zhou Jing)
Editor in charge: [Ji Xiang]