Intermodal railway creates momentum for Vietnam-China economic cooperation

NDO - In July, the volume of goods transported by China-Vietnam intermodal trains departing from Guangxi exceeded 1,922 TEUs, setting a new monthly record. As of July 31, a total of 6,850 TEUs had been transported this year, an increase of 17 times over the same period last year, creating a new channel to promote economic and trade exchanges between the two countries.

This is the information reported by the Chinese press when citing statistics from the Nanning Railway Bureau of the China National Railway Corporation, on the results of operating the intermodal railway system and bilateral goods exchange via the railway channel between the two countries.

According to assessments, intermodal rail is gradually becoming a strong driving force for economic growth and deepening cooperation between the two countries. Freight trains have significantly promoted the growth of bilateral trade. Previously, trade in goods mainly relied on sea or road transport, which took a long time and was greatly affected by weather and other factors.

At present, China-Vietnam intermodal trains have significantly shortened the time of goods transportation and reduced logistics costs thanks to their stability and efficiency. This makes trade between the two countries more convenient and frequent, whether it is China's mechanical equipment, electronic products and other industrial products or Vietnam's agricultural, aquatic and other specialty products, they can enter each other's markets faster to meet consumer demand and further stimulate the expansion of trade scale.

The China-Vietnam intermodal trains have significantly shortened the time of goods transportation and reduced logistics costs thanks to their stability and efficiency, making trade between the two countries more convenient and frequent, whether it is China's mechanical equipment, electronic products and other industrial products or Vietnam's agricultural, aquatic and other specialty products, they can enter each other's markets faster to meet consumer demand and further stimulate the expansion of trade scale.

Regarding the effectiveness of the railway transport mode, Chinese media assessed that this is a foundation for the two countries to enhance the complementarity and connectivity of their industries. China has advanced manufacturing and technology, while Vietnam has advantages in labor-intensive industries and agricultural processing. The opening of the railway routes has promoted cooperation between industries, allowing both sides to integrate resources more effectively, optimize the layout of the industrial chain and enhance industrial competitiveness. For example, electronic components from China can be supplied promptly to electronics assembly plants in Vietnam, and fresh fruits from Vietnam can be quickly delivered to the Chinese consumer market.

At the beginning of this year, a designated monitoring site for imported fruits at Pingxiang Railway Port was successfully inspected and approved by China Customs, opening up the railway transport of imported fruits from Vietnam. With the support of the new policy, fruit trains between China and Vietnam have reduced the need for vehicle transfers and reloading of transit containers, greatly shortening the transportation time. Fresh fruits from ASEAN can reach all regions in mainland China at the fastest speed via the China-Vietnam intermodal train.

The fruit trains between China and Vietnam have reduced the need for vehicle transfers and reloading of transit containers, greatly shortening the transportation time. Fresh fruits can reach all regions in inland China at the fastest speed via the intermodal train.

The China-Vietnam railway also contributes to promoting the economic development of the regions along the route. The stations and localities along the route have become the gathering places for logistics, warehousing, processing and other industries, creating many job opportunities and promoting economic development. At the same time, the development of the China-Vietnam railway also promotes the improvement of infrastructure in the border areas, including roads, warehouses, etc., improving the living conditions of the border residents. The strong, frequent and increasingly vibrant commercial atmosphere in the border areas will attract more investment and human resources, bringing more start-up opportunities and development space for the border residents.

However, the development of intermodal railways is still facing a number of challenges such as incomplete infrastructure connections, low loading and unloading capacity at some train stations, and the cargo clearance process needs to be optimized to improve efficiency...

Experts assess that, in addition to challenges, the China-Vietnam railway still has broad prospects, as the two sides continue to deepen cooperation and promote bilateral economic connectivity, accelerate infrastructure construction, improve customs clearance efficiency and service quality. From there, the railway can play a greater role through efficiency, speed, and convenience, contributing to reducing transportation costs, enhancing product competitiveness, enriching the variety of goods, expanding the international market, becoming a solid bridge for the two economies, and making greater contributions to the development and prosperity of the two countries.

The China-Vietnam railway has been in operation since November 2017, with less than 5 trains per month initially, now increasing to 3 trains per week, the transportation time from Nanning Nan station (China) to An Vien station (Vietnam) is less than 14 hours, achieving high efficiency in departure and arrival as well as completing customs procedures and receiving goods within the day.

Nanning Railway Bureau of China National Railway Corporation

Source: https://nhandan.vn/duong-sat-lien-van-tao-dong-luc-cho-hop-tac-kinh-te-viet-nam-trung-quoc-post825577.html