In the context of the continuous global epidemic, the Shanghai China Europe train was launched from Shanghai on September 28, 2021, adding a new logistics option for enterprises suffering from the shortage of international trade shipping and air transport capacity and soaring prices. According to the statistics of China Customs, as of January 17, 2022, the Customs at the stations affiliated to Shanghai Customs has supervised 15 Shanghai China Europe trains and accepted 979 customs declarations, involving 1456 TEUs, with a cargo weight of 8833.64 tons and a cargo value of 421 million yuan. Accelerating the development of China Europe trains, realizing the overall planning of land and sea, developing both road and belt, unblocking the international logistics channels of countries and enterprises along the Silk Road Economic Belt, would provide international land transportation supplement for trade development and logistics demand, and better promote the interconnection of two markets and two resources at home and abroad, and lead to China's stronger and more sustainable development. Meanwhile, the rapid development of Shanghai China Europe trains would help build Shanghai into the central node of the domestic circulation and enhance the strategic link of the domestic and international double circulation. Moreover, it also plays a leading role in helping Shanghai to serve the country's one belt and one road construction, and promotes the new open economy of Shanghai and the new pattern of all-around opening up and development of east, middle and west China. The aforementioned work would enhance China’s participation in global competition and cooperation, also has long-term strategic value.
The opening of the “Shanghai” China Europe train is inseparable from the suggestions of Think Tanks. In 2019 and 2021, Professor ZHAO Laijun successively submitted to Shanghai the relevant senior government special report on accelerating the development of China Europe trains in Shanghai, which was approved by the municipal leaders. In 2020, Professor ZHAO Laijun hosted and completed the key project of Shanghai Municipal People's government's decision consultation research, named “the research and solution on the promotion of Shanghai “one belt, one road” trade based on the aspect of the land union”.
On February 25, 2021, relevant departments of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce came to our Institute for a special research discussion. Professor ZHAO Laijun put forward solutions and suggestions for accelerating the development of China Europe trains in Shanghai from the aspects of the feasibility of the opening of China Europe trains, industrial development, integration into the national strategy, the normal operation of China Europe trains, the establishment of train assembly centers, exploring the mode of sea rail multimodal transport, and promoting policies.
On January 26, 2022, WEN HUI BAO published Professor ZHAO Laijun's article Improving Supply Chain Resilience by Taking the East Wind of China Europe Train, which expounds on several measures he proposed to promote the high-quality development of China Europe train land channel and improve the resilience of global industrial chain supply chain. The following is the original publication:
As worthy of the name “steel camel team”, the China Europe trains which connect the continents of Asia and Europe provide firmly guarantee of the effective running of the international supply chain of the industrial chain. Moreover, the China Europe trains have promoted the regional common development, provided more energy for the one belt, one road cooperation, and brought more benefits to the people along the line. In order to promote the high-quality development of China Europe train land channel and better improve the resilience of the global industrial chain and supply chain, the following measures can be further taken:
Development planning first. Undertaking the China Europe train construction and development plan (2016-2020), we should formulate and issue a new development plan as soon as possible, and provide top-level design and directional guidance for the high-quality development of China Europe trains.
Optimize the train operation mode. We should construct the China Europe train assembly center in the departure place of trains with railway container central station, free trade pilot area and local places with large industrial support and logistics demand, so as to promote the gathering of surrounding goods sources to the assembly center, and start the transportations by the trains after the assembly of the goods.
Improve train operation efficiency. We should increase infrastructure construction at domestic exit ports, increase transportation capacity, popularize the application of regional electronic customs clearance mode, and improve the operation efficiency of domestic train sections. Moreover, we should strengthen the coordination and cooperation with countries along with the international intermodal transport, and improve the container transfer and loading efficiency and customs clearance efficiency of railway stations along the route; therefore, we jointly improve the whole process operation efficiency of trains.
Formulate new rules for land trade. With the practice of “one belt, one road”, international trade, we should formulate new rules for land trade, such as Eurasia Convention on the carriage of goods by land, through international regional legislation, we promote the formulation of the customary law of multimodal transport bill of lading property right base on the practice of the China Europe trains in Asia Europe region. In the end, we should also promote the integration of the reunification trade documents and the unification of trade rules.
Translator: CHEN Yanting
Reviewer: WEI Xin
