Official: China-CEEC transport cooperation to be enhanced for mutual benefit

A Chinese government official has stated that the country is willing to work with Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) to continue promoting mutual benefit and win-win outcomes in the field of transport.

Li Yang, vice-minister of transport, said both sides will accelerate the creation of a new phase of open and cooperative transport, making greater contributions to the friendship between China and the CEEC.

He made the remarks during the 5th Conference of Liaison Officers of the China-CEEC Logistics Cooperation Secretariat, which was held in Beijing between July 3 and 4. The conference is an important logistical mechanism for China-CEEC cooperation.

Li outlined that, at present, the total number of direct flights between China and CEEC countries, both passenger and cargo, exceeds 70 per week, adding that a number of key projects such as the Peljesac Bridge in Croatia and the Montenegro North-South Expressway have also been completed.

In addition, work is ongoing on the southward channel of the China-Europe Railway Express, while the construction of the China-Europe Land-Sea Express is advancing, bringing more opportunities for local economic and social development, he said.

Tian Qingying, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and vice-governor of Sichuan, and Zhang Dongyun, secretary of the CPC Nanchong Municipal Committee, also delivered speeches at the main conference. The conference was chaired by Lu Jun, director of Sichuan's Department of Transport.

Themed "Enhancing Practical Cooperation in Logistics to Foster Industrial Ecosystem Development and Strengthen Supply Chains", the conference was co-hosted by China's Ministry of Transport and Sichuan's provincial government, and organized by the Department of Transport of Sichuan, the Port and Logistics Office of Sichuan, and Nanchong Municipal People's Government.

Ivanka Georgieva, head of the International, Bilateral and Regional Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Transport and Communication of the Republic of Bulgaria; Andras Janos Zolyo, head of International Relations Department at the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary; and Georgios Hatzipetros, commercial counselor of the Economic and Commercial Affairs Office at the Embassy of Greece in China, also spoke at the conference.

With four major events, the conference covered topics including international cooperation in the industrial and supply chains, logistics channel construction, bulk cargo transportation, transport infrastructure construction, multimodal transport, low-altitude logistics and green development.

China and the CEEC have agreed to strengthen all-round and multi-level exchanges and cooperation in the transportation and logistics field, promote the deep integration of the industrial and supply chains, build a more efficient, more dynamic and resilient modern logistics industry system, and open a new chapter in economic and trade cooperation between the two sides.

Tian noted that Sichuan has a solid foundation and strong prospects for cooperation with the CEEC, and is willing to work with the body to further tap the potential of trade and investment, and carry out higher-level cooperation.

Georgieva said that, in recent years, many Chinese companies have invested in and started businesses in Bulgaria, promoting increasingly close economic and trade exchanges between both parties.

Bulgaria looks forward to further deepening the consensus on cooperation and achieving more cooperation results, she said.

Among the concrete outcomes of the conference was the signing of an agreement between Sichuan Yunjin International Supply Chain and CECZ China-Europe Trade and Logistics Cooperation Park to jointly build an international railway logistics and warehousing network, while SPSI International Road Transportation Co and Bloomfield Global Co agreed a deal to promote a cross-border highway trade cooperation project and TIR assembly center.