The rail-sea intermodal trains have transported 960,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in 2024, marking an 11-percent year-on-year increase, according to China Railway Nanning Group.
The rapid growth of this trade corridor has facilitated the entry of agricultural products from ASEAN countries, including the rice from Cambodia, durians from Thailand, and passion fruit from Vietnam, into the Chinese market. At the same time, Chinese products such as new energy vehicles, tea, and building materials have gained popularity in and been exported more to Belt and Road cooperation countries.
As of Thursday, cargo varieties transported by rail-sea intermodal trains have expanded to 1,166 types. The trains now connect 73 cities of 18 provinces in China and serve 548 ports across 126 countries and regions globally.
China's rail-sea intermodal trains handle 960,000 containers of cargo in 2024
The overlapping Qingming Festival and public holiday in China's Hong Kong from April 3 to 7 brought a surge in cross-border traveling between the special administrative region and neighboring Shenzhen City in the southern Guangdong Province on the mainland.
Data released by Shenzhen's rail authorities showed that from April 3 to 7, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link saw 642,000 cross-border passenger trips, up 22.5 percent year on year. And on April 3, 86,000 mainland-bound passenger trips were made from Hong Kong via the rail link, a new single-day record.
During the five-day holiday period, Shenzhen government rolled out a wide range of cultural programs for tourists, including a Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area flower show and special performances such as stand-up comedies and classical music concerts.
Hong Kong tourists enjoyed seamlessly connected experiences -- they can watch the performances right after border inspections, then begin shopping in Shenzhen's commercial areas soon after the shows, thanks to the "one-hour living circle" of the Greater Bay Area facilitated by convenient transportation, customs clearances and cross-border payments.
Overlapping holidays see travel surge between Shenzhen, Hong Kong
