Accompanied by a clear and long train whistle, an international freight train of the China-Laos Railway loaded with 953 tons of cargo including photovoltaic modules and daily necessities slowly pulled out of the platform under supervision by Huaihua Customs. Heading straight southward, the train will arrive in Vientiane, Laos in merely three days.
The operation of the international freight train epitomizes the performance of Huaihua International Land Port in the first six months of the year. The port handled a total of 720 freight trains, representing a 20% year-on-year increase. Among them, 125 China-Laos freight trains were dispatched, ranking first in central China. Behind the rising figures lies Huaihua’s remarkable transformation from a logistics corridor into a comprehensive opening-up platform.
Stepping into the Smart Cold Chain Logistics Center, visitors are greeted by a refreshing coolness that stands in stark contrast to the intense heat outdoors. As gantry cranes lift and set down cargo, cold chain containers are precisely positioned, while skilled workers swiftly unload durians and longans imported from Southeast Asia.
At present, the cold chain trains handled by the Huaihua International Land Port tops inland ports nationwide, with China-Laos cold chain trains running regularly every three to five days. Customs statistics show that Huaihua’s import value of cold chain fruits from ASEAN countries exceeded 60 million yuan in the first half of the year, a year-on-year growth of 28.4%.
Smooth operation of the logistics corridor has vigorously boosted industrial development surrounding the port. At Hunan Rongjing Bamboo Industry Development Co., Ltd., production lines run at full capacity to fulfill orders. Ma Jin, the company’s person in charge, voiced delight: “Thanks to efficient services offered by the land port and customs, our bamboo and wood products can be rapidly shipped to Vietnam and Thailand. Our export volume hit 3.67 million yuan in the first half of the year, surging 1.9 times year on year. Our order book is full until the end of the year, with dozens of standard containers exported overseas each month.”
Mayang Senjia Luggage Co., Ltd. has also reaped tangible benefits from improved logistics. Man Linhua, the company’s manager, calculated the gains: “Our export volume topped 65 million yuan in the first half of the year, doubling year on year. More importantly, customs clearance has been accelerated and logistics costs cut, with transportation expenses alone reduced by at least 15%.”
The agglomeration effect of the operation of freight trains has made Huaihua a preferred overseas shipping hub for cargo from neighboring provinces. Long queues of trucks from Hubei and Jiangxi line up in the freight consolidation zone.
“Previously, exporting chemical products from Yichang required detouring via coastal ports, which was both costly and time-consuming,” a person in charge of a Hubei chemical enterprise told reporter. “Now we ship goods via Huaihua’s land port, loading cargo on the same day and delivering it the next day, slashing transit time by more than half. The economic advantage is self-evident.” Nowadays, not only chemical products from Hubei but also new energy vehicles manufactured in Jiangxi have shifted from sea freight to land transport, converging in Huaihua for southbound delivery.
Such transformative changes are underpinned by robust breakthroughs in customs clearance models. In the first half of the year, the official commissioning and maiden business operation of the import bonded warehouse and export supervised warehouse drove comprehensive upgrading of Huaihua International Land Port’s platform functions: a multimodal transport center was put into operation concurrently, alongside the launch of a smart operation platform supporting full-visibility cargo tracking and intelligent scheduling; the Comprehensive Service Center for Domestic and Foreign Trade was inaugurated, enabling foreign trade enterprises to complete all required procedures within the port for one-stop service.
Huaihua Customs has actively rolled out facilitation measures including Railway Rapid Clearance and Direct Loading & Direct Pickup to streamline paperwork and reduce on-site visits for enterprises. Li Chun, deputy chief of Huaihua Customs, remarked: “We will further strengthen cross-regional collaborative supervision, deliver higher-standard services to guarantee stable operation of freight trains, and fully support Huaihua in building a new highland for reform and opening-up in inland China.”
Huaihua International Land Port shows no sign of slowing its accelerated growth. It is evolving rapidly from a single logistics corridor into a fully functional hub where cargo is consolidated, industries cluster and business opportunities flourish. Riding the wave of inland reform and opening-up, Huaihua presses ahead boldly toward new prospects.
(Translated by Yang Hong)