Xiamen to boost transportation links with BRI countries

Xiamen, a port city in East China's Fujian province, is set to exert a greater role in bolstering the Belt and Road Initiative, as it inaugurated a new business on Monday to boost transportation linking China and the BRI countries.

According to its operator, the new entity- Fujian Silk Road Shipping Operation Co- will launch 16 international container shipping routes as of June in 2019.

By 2020 year-end, it aims to further cement links with ports and shipping businesses from home and abroad, basically realizing the construction of an international trade route featuring sea transport plus Sino-Europe freight train services.

As of 2025, the company will develop into a logistics brand with global competitiveness and recognition, with the routes covering all the major ports along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

On the same day, some juggernauts in the sector including China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited, Xiamen Port Holding Group and Fujian Provincial Communication and Transportation Group proposed establishment of an alliance to expand cooperation and exchanges with global companies in the fields of shipping, logistics and trade.

The move would help the newly established company grow into a comprehensive transportation platform with standardized services, facilitated operation and smart management, promoting the city's economic and trade ties with the port cities in BRI countries, said Cai Liqun, deputy general manager of Xiamen Port Holding Group and also general manager of Fujian Silk Road Shipping Operation Co.

Xiamen has emerged as a key node underpinning the BRI, which was first proposed in 2013 and is a national key project aiming to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.

According to Huang Qiang, executive deputy mayor of Xiamen, the city's trade volume with the countries and regions involved in 21st Century Maritime Silk Road reached 98.8 billion yuan ($14.5 billion) in 2018. Within the year, a total of 45 investment project from the Silk Road countries has landed in Xiamen, with the actual use of foreign capitals soaring by 83.7 percent.

The city also boasts 165 berths with throughout hitting 10.38 million TEUs in 2017, ranking it 14th worldwide. It has also opened 76 international shipping routes and 20 air routes to date. The freight train services Xiamen have launched have reached 30-plus cities in 12 countries in Europe, statistics show.