Railway port boosts high-quality development in Qingbaijiang

A China-Europe freight train departs from Chengdu International Railway Port for Europe. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Qingbaijiang district in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, is striving to boost its role as an international hub and achieve high-quality development by seizing the opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative.

After starting operations in 2013, the China-Europe (Chengdu) Railway Express, departing from the Chengdu International Railway Port in Qingbaijiang district, has put Chengdu at the forefront of opening-up among the country's inland regions.

For more than nine years, freight trains departing from Qingbaijiang have transported cargo such as electronics, automobiles and smart home appliances, providing enterprises with reliable international logistics solutions.

The trains setting out from the Chengdu International Railway Port link more than 100 cities, forming a land-sea freight distribution system that connects to Europe, Mongolia, Japan, South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Chengdu International Railway Port focuses on international supply chains, international trade and intelligent manufacturing. It has introduced nearly 200 major industrialization projects with a total investment of more than 100 billion yuan ($13.9 billion).

TCL Optoelectronics Technology (Chengdu), located in the Comprehensive Bonded Zone of Chengdu International Railway Port, utilizes the bonded function of the comprehensive bonded zone to produce key components such as TV modules in the form of processing trade.

"The company has transferred 80 percent of its European orders to Chengdu, hoping to respond more quickly to the needs of European customers through the China-Europe freight train," said Sun Xiuhong, head of TCL's Chengdu branch.

Relying on its strong logistics, Qingbaijiang launched the construction of the European Industrial City in 2017 to develop the import and export processing trade industry. It has attracted more than 60 megaprojects with a total investment of 60 billion yuan.

As one of the earliest industrial zones in China, Qingbaijiang has been actively promoting industrial transformation and upgrading over the past decade to achieve green, low-carbon and high-quality development.

The old industrial base has turned into a high-performance fiber material industry functional zone. Sinotruk Chengdu Wangpai Commercial Vehicle in the zone has become one of the largest new energy commercial vehicle manufacturing bases in Southwest China.

The zone, which is a national demonstration base for the industrialization of high-performance fiber technology, also gathered a number of leading enterprises such as Taichia Chengdu Glass Fiber Co Ltd and Chengdu Yulong Chemical Co Ltd.

After Qingbaijiang district proposed the construction of a pilot production base targeting the Belt and Road markets this year, the zone will make use of its pilot test platforms to promote the commercialization of technological achievements.