AGV cross-border transport system significantly improves customs clearance efficiency in Inner Mongolia's port

China's first Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) cross-border transport system at Ganqimaodu port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has greatly improved the customs clearance efficiency of imported goods and ensured the stable operation of domestic coal supply chain.

From January to September this year, the Ganqimaodu port handled nearly 30.9 million tons of import and export goods, an increase of 12.39 percent, hitting a record high.

With a daily coal import volume of up to 140,000 tons, what ensures the efficient and orderly operation of the busy port is a 6.19-kilometer-long AGV cross-border transport corridor spanning from Gashuunsuhait Port in Mongolia in the north to Ganqimaodu Port in China in the south.

Completed and operational in June 2024, the line features a fully enclosed, bidirectional four-lane road equipped with intelligent checkpoints and video surveillance facilities.

"A total of 6,000 magnets are installed in the 6-kilometer-long road. These magnets do not require power supply or network connection. They provide the vehicles with an electromagnetic induction coordinate information to guide the AGVs through the safest route to the cargo distribution site. The positioning accuracy can reach 3 millimeters," said Wang Bo, general manager of a local logistics company.

The improvement of efficiency of border check and customs joint inspection has also facilitated the unhindered entry of imported coals at the Ganqimaodu Port. The equipment installed along the fully enclosed road can realize automatic scanning, real-time capture, 360-degree monitoring and intelligent image review while vehicles are moving, reducing the inspection clearance time to up to three seconds.

"The AGV unmanned cross-border corridor and efficient inspection can ensure the rapid response and stable operation of the supply chain, providing a strong guarantee for the development of cross-border trade. The operating speed and the number of AGVs have been increased eight times since the beginning of the project, and are still undergoing tests for speed adjustment," said Wang Yong, head of a local logistics company.

Today, the efficiency of a single AGV at the Ganqimaodu Port is more than 6 times that of a double-trailer truck, enabling the annual transport capacity to reach 10 million tons

Meanwhile, the reform of intelligent facilities, intensive information system, digital operation management and facilitative comprehensive services is being progressed at a fast pace in other ports in Inner Mongolia.

The Ministry of Transport of China said that it will make efforts to accelerate the construction of an open, shared, safe and reliable international logistics supply chain system that covers the globe and provides strong guarantee, so as to better promote the inbound and outbound transport of goods.

"In the next step, we will accelerate the development of smart logistics, improve the management system and standards of new business forms of logistics, promote the digital transformation and upgrading of transportation infrastructure such as smart highways, smart waterways, smart ports and smart hubs, better serving and supporting the reduction of logistics costs for the whole society," said Meng Xiaoyu, deputy director of department of transport service of the ministry.

AGV cross-border transport system significantly improves customs clearance efficiency in Inner Mongolia's port

The China-Laos Railway has facilitated travel and the movement of goods along its route over the past three years.

The 1,035-kilometer railway, a flagship project within the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, connects China's southwestern city of Kunming with the Laotian capital of Vientiane.

Starting operation on Dec 3, 2021, it links the new western land-sea corridor and the China-Europe international railway network, extending its cross-border cargo transportation services to 19 countries and regions, including Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Over the past three years, the railway has transported more than 43 million passengers and 48 million tons of cargo, marking a surge of both passenger and cargo transport.

Feng Zhuoliang, a banana trader from Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, has benefited from the railway. His company buys approximately 1,000 tons of bananas each month from Mohan, a border town in Yunnan Province.

"I arrived yesterday afternoon. Since then, I've ordered two trucks of goods. My plan today is to purchase around three trucks more," said Feng.

Compared with the road transport, the China-Laos Railway can reduce transportation by three to four days, and lower losses caused from the handling of goods during border transits, Feng said.

The China-Laos Railway has also cut freight costs by 30 percent to 50 percent for shipment between Kunming and Thailand, and by 20 percent to 40 percent for transport within Laos.

In the last three years, the railway served 31 provinces, regions, and municipalities in China and 19 other countries and regions, including Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore.

In terms of the passenger transport, the daily trains on the China-Laos Railway's domestic section have risen from eight to a peak of 86, and on the international section from four to 16. Monthly passenger numbers have grown from over 600,000 to more than 1.6 million.

"The railway has significantly facilitated the travel for people along the route. We have added extra trains during weekends and holidays," said Dai Rui, a conductor of the Kunming Passenger Transport Section of China Railway Kunming Group.

China-Laos Railway enhances cross-border trade, travel