Lanzhou-Moscow air cargo route opens, boosting trade ties

A new international air freight route between Lanzhou, capital city of northwest China's Gansu Province, and Moscow opened on Thursday with the arrival of a Tu-204 cargo aircraft from the Russian capital city, contributing to strengthening international trade links within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Tu-204 touched down at the Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport later on Thursday, and departed in the early hours of Friday, carrying around 27 tons of general trade goods, including daily consumer products and mechanical parts. It transited Ulan-Ude before reaching Moscow.

The Tu-204 is scheduled to execute airlift missions on the route up to three times per week, providing a steady logistics channel between the two places.

This new route was introduced following the completion of the third phase of Lanzhou International Airport's expansion. The airport is regarded as a "new bridge of the Air Silk Road," connecting western China with East European markets and reinforcing Lanzho's role as a growing hub in international air cargo transport.

Shenzhen Port in south China's Guangdong Province handled 14.323 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in foreign trade container throughput during the first five months of this year, up 7.17 percent year-on-year, hitting a record high for the same period.

The port currently operates more than 280 shipping routes connecting over 300 ports across the world, ranking first among the ports in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in both container throughput and global reach.