More than 260 tons of rubber from Thailand was loaded onto a freight train bound for Guizhou at Zhanjiang Port on Sept 21, marking the opening of a new Southeast Asia—Zhanjiang—Guizhou intermodal transportation route.

Guizhou Tyre is one of the sponsors of the project and is among its many beneficiaries. The company's executive assistant Wang Kun said, "In the past, our imports from Southeast Asia were transported by way of Yantian Port in Shenzhen, but the new route via Zhanjiang Port travels over 600 km less, which saves us 15 to 20 percent of costs."

A spokesman from Zhanjiang Port (Group) said it will be able to deliver goods two days earlier than before, thanks to the removal of extra clearance procedures. The reduction of red tape and shortened travel time is thought to reduce costs by 500 yuan ($75) per container.

Wang said the logistics line speeds up the turnover of capital and the company would use it from now on.

The new logistics route offers a "one-stop" logistics service aimed at improving business exchanges between the southwestern part of China and Southeast Asian countries. Zhanjiang hopes the route will attract investments from ASEAN countries and play a greater role in supporting the Belt and Road Initiative.

Zhanjiang Port is a vital seaport in China with an annual throughput exceeding 120 million tons. It serves 27 domestic and international container routes, and four rail-sea intermodal lines to southwestern China.

The Southeast Asia—Zhanjiang—Guizhou container rail-sea intermodal line comes into use on Sept 21. [Photo/zhanjiang.gov.cn]