Connecting the Hinterland Internally and Europe and Asia Externally—The Role of the Cross-border Trade Corridor at Manzhouli Port is Becoming Prominent

As a significant node in jointly constructing the "Belt and Road" Initiative and a crucial point along the "Eurasian Land Bridge", Manzhouli Port is transitioning from a traditional bulk commodity channel to a high-technology, high-efficiency cross-border trade corridor.

According to statistics from Manzhouli Customs, from January to May this year, imports and exports from various ports in the Manzhouli Customs District to Belt and Road partner countries totaled 87.25 billion yuan, marking an 8.6% year-on-year increase, 4.4 percentage points higher than the national import-export growth rate to Belt and Road partner countries. Among these, exports amounted to 56.49 billion yuan, representing a 3.5% increase, while imports totaled 30.76 billion yuan, demonstrating a 19.6% growth. The monthly import and export value experienced a year-on-year increase for three consecutive months, reaching this year's peak of 20.58 billion yuan in May.

"The advancement in constructing the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor has spurred a significant increase in cross-border logistics demand. We have innovatively applied the 'three mechanisms' of information sharing, emergency response, and comprehensive analysis reporting to establish a railway panoramic logistics display platform, continuously optimizing port transport capacity." stated the head of Manzhouli Station Customs, affiliated with Manzhouli Customs. Currently, the Manzhouli Port has established 57 stable routes of the China-Europe Railway Express, serving over 60 cities in regions such as Northeast China, North China, and the Yangtze River Delta, while connecting countries including Russia, Belarus, Poland, and Germany. This port accommodates a quarter of the nation's inbound and outbound China-Europe Railway Express trains, ranking first nationwide in terms of return journey trains.

In the context of a complex and volatile external market environment, Manzhouli Customs has consistently enhanced the implementation of reform measures such as "Railway Fast Clearance" and "Immediate Unloading and Loading" for the China-Europe Railway Express, supporting the accelerated export of the "New Three" and high-tech products. Meanwhile, coordination with inland hub customs such as Harbin and Shenyang will establish a Northeast international logistics corridor, enabling seamless local inspection and port clearance.

"The 'Railway Fast Clearance' business model has streamlined the customs clearance process, saving us costs on customs declaration for transit, container relocation, and venue usage," said Liu Jianfeng, a customs broker at Inner Mongolia Far East International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd. "This model reduces customs clearance time by 1 to 2 days, meeting high efficiency demands while enhancing our competitiveness in the international market."

Manzhouli Port serves as both a hub for the "Eastern Corridor" of the China-Europe Railway Express and a primary channel for TIR international road transport. As a modern cross-border transportation method, TIR international road transport has introduced new vitality and opportunities for development at the Manzhouli highway port. Manzhouli Customs has established a dedicated position for TIR operations, offering enterprise-supportive services such as the "service guide" and "appointment-based customs clearance". Additionally, it promptly conducts container and seal inspections to enhance the quality and expand the scope of TIR business activities. Currently, the number of TIR transport routes at Manzhouli Port has been expanded to 16, accounting for 60% of the national total. The development of an efficient, resilient, and sustainable logistics and transportation system has become a critical factor driving the economic growth of Manzhouli Port.

 Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of China Inspection and Quarantine Times. The China Inspection and Quarantine Times version shall prevail.