IRU hopes to further facilitate road transport links

The International Road Transport Union, the organization that manages Transports Internationaux Routiers operations, or the TIR, with United Nations' authorization, is seeking to diversify its cooperation with China's customs to further facilitate goods trade via more convenient road transportation methods, said a senior official on Wednesday.

Since China implemented the TIR transport initiative, a globally applicable international customs transit and guarantee system, last May, it has opened 10 ports including Ereenhot and Manzhouli in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and Horgos and Irkeshtam in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, that are applicable to TIR, which has already cut the financial and time costs of shipments between China and its trade partners in the European Union, Russia and Central Asia.

Umberto de Pretto, secretary-general of the Geneva-headquartered organization, said the IRU is looking for more ports in China to be applicable for TIR in the future.