China News Agency, Nanning, June 13th: How does the new western land-sea corridor help the regional economic recovery after the epidemic?
——Interview with Lin Yongxin, Director of the Maritime Silk Road Research Institute of the South China Sea Research Institute
China News Agency reporter Yang Qiang and Feng Shumin
In August 2017, the four provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou and Gansu signed a framework agreement on the "Southbound Corridor" (the predecessor of the "Western Land-Sea New Corridor"), established a joint meeting mechanism, and since then extended the scope of cooperation to Qinghai, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Ningxia, Shaanxi and other provinces.
So far, the New Western Land-Sea Corridor has made more than 14,000 trips in total, covering 91 stations in 47 cities in 13 provinces in China, and navigating to more than 300 ports in more than 100 countries and regions around the world. Full coverage.
The security of the industrial chain and supply chain is the core competitiveness in the post-epidemic era.
In the context of the normalization of the current global epidemic, what role does the new western land-sea corridor play in the process of regional economic recovery?
What role does it play in smoothing the domestic and international dual circulation?
Lin Yongxin, director and associate researcher of the Maritime Silk Road Research Institute of the South China Sea Research Institute, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "East and West Questions" to interpret this.
The content of the interview is summarized as follows:
China News Agency reporter: What are the advantages of the new western land-sea corridor in the regional industrial chain and transportation chain? How to evaluate its performance in the past 5 years?
Lin Yongxin:
The new western land-sea corridor is located in the hinterland of western China, connecting the Yangtze River Economic Belt internally and the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road externally.
After five years of development, this major international trade channel has become an important axis connecting provinces, regions and cities in western China, promoting complementary advantages and interconnected development. corridor.
The new western land-sea channel realizes the connection between the Chinese market and the ASEAN market, the development strategy of the northwest region and the southwest region, the western development and opening up and Hainan's comprehensive deepening of reform and opening up, and plays a major supporting role in the regional industrial chain.
At the same time, provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities along the route will strengthen co-construction and sharing, cooperate in the construction of logistics parks, industrial parks and comprehensive operation platforms, and fully coordinate the advantages and conditions of industrial development through information exchange and sharing, so as to realize the coordinated development of industries along the route.
The Chinese have a consensus: to get rich, build roads first.
At the transport chain level, the new western land-sea corridor has successively built a number of railways from Guiyang to Nanning, Xuyong to Bijie, Leye to Baise expressway, Qinzhou Port East Channel Expansion Phase I and Phase II, and Sino-Singapore Nanning International Logistics Park. Infrastructures such as railways, highways, ports, and logistics operation platforms have significantly increased logistics flow, significantly reduced transportation costs, and continued to improve logistics efficiency and service levels.
Official data show that in 2021, a total of 6,117 sea-rail intermodal trains will be operated in the new western land-sea channel, a year-on-year increase of 33%; a total of 1,904 China-Vietnam cross-border trains (via the Pingxiang railway port) will be operated, a year-on-year increase of 50.6%.
In the first quarter of 2022, a total of 1,736 sea-rail intermodal trains were completed in the new western land-sea channel, a year-on-year increase of 31%; a total of 98 China-Vietnam cross-border trains were launched, and 2,940 TEUs were shipped, a year-on-year increase of 27.3% and 34.1% respectively.
From the point of view of the connection and connection of the market, the new western land-sea corridor takes transportation and logistics channels and transportation and logistics hubs as carriers, and systematically builds international trade corridors and economic corridors that are deeply related to supply chains, industrial chains, and value chains.
Qinzhou Port Container Terminal.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhai Liqiang
China News Service: What role does the new western land-sea corridor play in the full implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the construction of the 3.0 version of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, and the building of a China-ASEAN community of shared future?
Lin Yongxin:
The rapid development of the new western land-sea corridor has further stimulated the coordination between the Chinese market and the ASEAN market.
Over the past five years, relying on the construction of the new western land-sea corridor, the trade between the western region of China and ASEAN has maintained an average annual double-digit growth trend.
In the future, with the implementation of trade facilitation measures, especially the reduction of non-tariff barriers, its role in promoting China-ASEAN trade will become more prominent.
As an important carrier for the implementation of RCEP and China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 trade and investment facilitation policies, the new Western Land-Sea Corridor will promote the regional strategic cooperation between China and ASEAN countries and the building of a China-ASEAN community of shared future.
Relying on this channel, China and ASEAN countries have opened up the construction of a new international land-sea trade channel.
For example, since 2021, China and Singapore have jointly formulated the overall development plan for the China-Singapore Connectivity Project (2021-2025), special plans in four key areas and special plans in other areas, expanding new areas and spaces for cooperation between the two sides.
Qinzhou Automated Container Terminal at Beibu Gulf Port.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Feng Shumin
China News Service reporter: In the post-epidemic era, how should the new western land-sea corridor improve and extend the development space? How to attract ASEAN and even more countries and regions to participate in the joint construction?
Lin Yongxin:
First of all, we must fully evaluate the development trend of the global industrial chain and value chain in the post-epidemic era, and make a more scientific positioning for the construction of the channel in combination with the actual situation.
On this basis, strengthen top-level design, and make timely adjustments to key tasks in accordance with changes in the international situation and the needs of China's new development pattern.
For example, since the Ukrainian crisis, the international energy and food supply chains have been affected, and the construction of the new western land-sea corridor should be further planned in these areas to expand the space for regional cooperation.
On the other hand, it is necessary to deepen the cooperation of relevant domestic provinces, regions and cities, optimize the business environment, and increase the attractiveness to market players in ASEAN and even outside the region.
All regions should strengthen the connection and aggregation of people flow, logistics, information flow, capital flow, etc., eliminate regional barriers, form a joint force, and create a channel logistics economic circle.
In addition, it is necessary to make full use of the opportunities brought into effect by RCEP to optimize industrial division of labor and promote industrial upgrading.
Establish food and mineral deep-processing bases in Chongqing, Guangxi and other places, link China-Europe trains to radiate Europe, promote regional economic integration, enhance comparative advantages, and expand scale effects.
In 2019, the CEIBS Rechen Central Station - Duisburg, Germany started.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhai Liqiang
China News Service: As one of the earliest departure ports of China's Maritime Silk Road and an important node of the new western land-sea corridor, what role can Guangxi play in promoting the construction of the new western land-sea corridor?
Lin Yongxin:
Guangxi has obvious geographical advantages. It is connected with ASEAN countries by land and sea. It can play the role of bridge connection. Relying on borders and seaports, it can promote the comprehensive and effective connection between the Chinese market and the ASEAN market; play a window role and rely on the China-ASEAN Expo platform to promote China and ASEAN cooperate in a wide range of fields such as industry and trade.
Guangxi and ASEAN countries have created many cooperation platforms and mechanisms in a wide range of fields such as economy, trade, culture, education, and industry. In the future, we can deeply understand the cooperation needs of the regions along the route and ASEAN countries, and make use of the established platforms. The important role of information sharing, negotiation and exchange , promote exchanges and interactions in the regions along the route, and promote the deepening of this new international land-sea corridor.
China News Agency reporter: What form and significance did the ancient Maritime Silk Road and the modern western land-sea passage have in their respective eras? What are the similarities and differences between the two?
Lin Yongxin:
Both are born in response to the development needs of the times.
The ancient Maritime Silk Road started from the coast of China, passed through the Indo-China Peninsula and the countries of the South China Sea, crossed the Indian Ocean, entered the Red Sea, and reached East Africa and Europe.
In addition to the business exchanges of silk, porcelain and tea, it also spread Chinese national craftsmanship and Confucianism and Taoism, and also brought folk culture and ideas along the route into China, promoting mutual learning among different civilizations.
The new western land-sea corridor formed in the new historical period and the new international pattern, through infrastructure construction, unimpeded trade and investment, not only promotes the development and opening up of western China, but also enables China and ASEAN countries to achieve people-to-people and cultural exchanges, people-to-people bonds, and promote civilization mutual learning and collision.
Both had economic and cultural significance in their respective eras.
The New Western Land-Sea Corridor is not only a channel for commercial and trade development, but also bears the significance of realizing economic growth in the underdeveloped western regions, promoting the coordinated development of the eastern and western regions, and accelerating the realization of common prosperity. It will also promote the construction of a China-ASEAN community of shared future.
In comparison, the latter is more profound and significant.
In 2021, the 18th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit opened in Nanning, Guangxi.
The theme of this year's China-ASEAN Expo is "Sharing New Land-Sea Channels and New Opportunities to Build a China-ASEAN Community of Shared Future".
Photo by Peng Huan issued by China News Agency
China News Service reporter: The new western land-sea corridor will be stable and far-reaching. How will it help countries and regions in the region to recover from the epidemic, improve the ecology of the industrial chain, and stabilize international trade?
Lin Yongxin:
Major changes such as the regression of economic globalization, trade frictions, the impact of the epidemic, and global monetary easing have resulted in increasing uncertainty in the international economic environment, sharp fluctuations in commodity prices and international shipping costs, and the impact of the Ukraine crisis on the regional security situation. also have many impacts.
The controllability and security of the supply chain, as well as the security and stability of the industrial chain, have become important issues.
The new western land-sea corridor has created opportunities for diversified development of the industrial chain and supply chain.
For example, by building a cross-border business supply chain headquarters center and building a China-ASEAN bulk commodity trading platform, the matching degree of regional international logistics chains and industrial chains has been effectively improved.
At the same time, it also improves the diversity of regional channel layouts, reducing the risk of being "stuck in the neck" to a certain extent.
Undoubtedly, the new western land-sea corridor promotes regional economic integration, provides more opportunities for win-win development for all parties, and is of great significance to promoting the regional economy and even the recovery of the world economy.
It provides greater markets and opportunities for the regions along the route, promotes the development of the regional economy towards a more open, inclusive, inclusive, balanced and shared direction, and also provides important support for the industrial development and industrial transformation and upgrading of new regional markets. The deep integration of markets in the regions along the route provides opportunities and injects new vitality into the steady growth of the world economy.
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Lin Yongxin, director and associate researcher of the Maritime Silk Road Institute of the South China Sea Research Institute, is committed to research in the fields of environmental resource protection and development in the South China Sea, cooperation in the South China Sea, and marine economy.
In recent years, he has presided over or participated in a number of national and provincial social science fund projects involving the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.