At 23:30 on August 20, local time (GMT+1), a B747-400 all-cargo aircraft took off from Liege Airport, Belgium with full cargo and successfully arrived at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, Hubei at 15:40 on August 21 (GMT+8), marking the official opening of the multimodal "Liege-Wuhan" international freight route by Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd. (ITL Multimodal Transportation).

ITL Multimodal Transportation "Liege-Wuhan"International Freight Route as an intercontinental all-cargo route, the ITL Multimodal Transportation "Liege-Wuhan" International Freight Route is scheduled to depart from Liege twice a week since September and arrive at Wuhan on the next day. The aircraft type is Boeing 747-400 freighter with a maximum capacity of 100 tons, transporting cargo including machinery and equipment, electrical equipment, e-commerce parcels, auto parts, and electronic products.

Liege Airport

Located in Liege, a city in the east of Belgium, Liege Airport is the largest cargo airport in Belgium and the eighth-largest cargo airport in Europe. It gathers many famous airlines such as TNT Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates SkyCargo, Air China Cargo, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Icelandair Cargo, and Ethiopian Airlines.

Liege Airport is located in the center of the Golden Triangle between Amsterdam – Paris – Frankfurt, where more than 73% of European cargo transport takes place. Liege Airport operates 24/7, with direct flights to more than 60 destinations every day. Cargo airlines departing from Liege Airport every week cover more than 130 destinations on five continents.

In the future, ITL Multimodal Transportation will continue to expand its transport capacity and increase the layout of air routes. In addition to increasing the density of European waypoints and flights, it will also deepen business contacts with major airlines, increase the radiation scope of its air routes, and provide customers with diversified logistics solutions.

"New Xi'an, New Opportunities and New Cooperation"

The Sixth Silk Road International Exposition and the Investment and Trade Forum for Cooperation between East and West China Grandly Held in Xi'an August 16, 2022. ITL Group Invited to 2022 China (Shaanxi)-South Korea Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference Logistics Industry Development and Cooperation.

With the theme of "Discussion on Cost Reduction Plan for South Korean Enterprises Applying the China Railway Express (Chang'an) for Logistics Transportation", the conference was held both online and offline. The participating enterprises include 12Chinese enterprises such as ITL Group, and 20 logistics enterprises in South Korea such as LX Pantos, Bondex, and Samsung C&T. In addition, 60South Korean enterprises in China or exporting to Europe participated online.

This conference was held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, to promote and strengthen the exchanges and cooperation in the logistics industry between China (Shaanxi Province) and South Korean enterprises and vigorously develop South Korea's transit goods trade. It introduced the transportation advantages, logistics costs, transportation timeliness and other related information of China Railway Express (Chang'an) to South Korean enterprises in detail, and explored the feasibility and specific practical operation plans of the future development of the transit land, sea and air logistics transportation industry.

As the first logistics enterprise to make a speech,The General Manager of Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd.,Shao Boer introduced the China Railway Express (Chang'an) freight train's current operation, special routes and services, etc.in detail

Special Routes

Japan-South Korea Transit JSQ Train

On August 12, 2022, the first sea-rail intermodal JSQ train for transporting exported Japanese/South Korean cars through the Asia-Europe Land-Sea Trade Corridor (Nagoya-Tianjin-Xi'an-Almaty), which was jointly operated by Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of ITL Group, and Nippon Express (China) Co., Ltd. (NX China), departed successfully from Tianjin.

Japan-South Korea Transit Cargo Train

Since July 2, 2021, a total of 87 trains (441 containers) have been shipped, including 20 trains (48 containers) of import transit trains and 67 trains (393 containers) of export transit trains, which have been put into regular operation.

Express Route to Central and Eastern Europe

Specifically, the express route to Central and Eastern Europe departs from Xi'an to Budapest, Hungary via Chop, Ukraine, which costs only 13 days for the whole journey. The route to Pan-Eastern Europe dispatches trains to Vienna in Austria, Ploieşti in Romania, Istanbul in Turkey, and other cities, covering the entire territory of Central and Eastern Europe. The route to Kyiv (Odesa) costs ten days to directly arrive at Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

China Railway Express Public Trains

China Railway Express (Chang’an) China-Europe Public Trains runs two lines regularly, Xi’an to Duisburg and Xi’an to Malaszewicze, with four trains and two returns a day. The stable operation time further brings the position of Xi’an Port as a gateway and hub into play to create a scale effect, reduce logistics costs and improve service efficiency.

German Express

China Railway Express "German Express" departs from Xi’an on a weekly basis. It can arrive at Neuss in Germany, about 9,400 km away, within 10 to 12 days, which is the fastest China-Germany international railway freight in the world.

Special Services

China Railway Express (Chang'an) Consolidation Center

The application of the innovative consolidation mode of customs declaration before crating has provided a fundamental solution to the problem that if one crate is found something wrong in customs inspection, all other goods in the container will be delayed. The Consolidation Center has become the first railway export consolidation supervision center.

Financial Services

We bring together bonding companies, factoring companies, financial leasing companies, fund companies and other quasi-financial companies to establish the Xi'an Port Supply Chain Financial Service Platform.

Information-based Services

Relying on the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and the global wireless network, we conduct real-time monitoring of containers in transit in terms of location, sealing status, temperature and humidity, with the aim to improve the safety and transparency of container logistics, and bring the container logistics to a higher level as a whole.

ITL Group will continue to advance the high-quality development of China Railway Express (Chang'an) and build an international trade channel with high efficiency, low cost and excellent service in the inland area.For the deep participation of Shaanxi in the "Belt and Road" Initiative,its accelerated opening up to the outside world,and the construction of a center of inland reform and opening up,ITL Group will devote its unique strength!

On August 12, 2022, the first sea-rail intermodal RORO train for transporting exported Japanese/South Korean cars through the Asia-Europe Land-Sea Trade Corridor (Nagoya-Tianjin-Xi'an-Almaty), jointly operated by Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Xi'an International Inland Port Investment & Development Group (ITL Group), and Nippon Express (China) Co., Ltd. (NX China), departed successfully from Tianjin. It marks the addition of a new member to the car transportation products and routes under the regular operation of Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd.

This batch of exported cars, after leaving its Japanese factory, was first delivered to Nagoya Port by domestic shipping, and then to Tianjin by an international RORO ship. After the cars were unloaded at the Tianjin Port, they rode a RORO train westward, went past Xi'an, exited China through Khorgos Port, and finally arrived at Altynkol Station in Kazakhstan. After that, they were delivered to the place designated by the customer in Almaty by car carriers.

This successful launch of the (Nagoya-Tianjin-Xi'an-Almaty) sea-rail intermodal RORO train for transporting exported Japanese/South Korean cars can be attributed to the tremendous efforts of Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd. Based on the traditional logistics channels for Japanese and South Korean car enterprises to export products to Central Asia, the company made full use of China's abundant railway transport resources and its own sophisticated cross-border multimodal transportation routes to open up a brand new international logistics channel connecting Japan/South Korea, China, and Central Asia for Japanese/South Korean enterprises including car manufacturers.

Notably, compared with the traditional transportation routes, the corridor adopts the transportation mode combining "RORO ship, RORO train, and car carrier", which drastically reduces the whole transportation time from over 60 days (mainly by sea) to about 20 days, drastically shortening the transit time.

Meanwhile, ITL Bonded Logistics, a subsidiary of ITL Group, assigned a professional car port operation team to Tianjin for conducting professional spot check on the cars, receiving unanimous praise from the customer.

·A Scene of Spot Check·

Earlier this year, after hearing from NX China that Japanese customers have a strong demand for shipping goods from Japan to Central Asia and even Europe via China, Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd. immediately organized a professional team to formulate a plan in cooperation with parties concerned, and finally proposed the logistics solution combining "RORO ship, RORO train, and car carrier". This solution effectively addressed the dilemma of shipping suspension due to the international situation.

In recent years, by making full use of the functional advantages of Xi'an Port (automobile import port), the policy advantages of the comprehensive bonded zone and the professional advantages of its own car logistics team, Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd. has successfully provided stable, efficient and safe customized automobiles and parts logistics services for car brands such as BYD, SXQC, Volvo, Audi and French PSA Peugeot Citroen.

        Zhai Ruopeng, Deputy General Manager of ITL Group：

"In the light of the requirements put forward by the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Shaanxi Province about concentrating on building the Asia-Europe Land-Sea Trade Corridor (hereinafter referred to as "the Corridor"), Xi'an International Inland Port Investment & Development Group (ITL Group) actively explores and innovates. Since the departure ceremony of the first test RORO train through the Corridor successfully held in Xi'an in July 2021, the two-way operation of RORO trains has been normalized. The latest operation of a RORO train marks a new option for Japanese and South Korean enterprises, especially auto manufacturers, to export products to Central Asia and Europe. This further exemplified the Corridor's important role in the global international logistics network."

Satoshi Kato, Director of Cross-border Transportation Planning and Development Department in NIPPON EXPRESS LOGISTICS (CHINA) CO., LTD.：

"As one of the first Fortune 500 enterprises settled in Xi'an Comprehensive Bonded Zone, NIPPON EXPRESS LOGISTICS established a close and pragmatic all-round strategic partnership with ITL Group right after it settled in the Zone. We are very pleased to see that the two sides have continued to expand areas of cooperation in recent years. In December 2018, the Nippon Express Special Train of China Railway Express (Chang’an) was successfully put into operation. This time, we have made new breakthroughs in the cooperation on cross-border transportation of commercial vehicles. It is particularly valuable to discover new opportunities amid the changes and challenges facing the current special international political and economic environment. In the future, we hope to deepen cooperation, and actively develop new routes and new products to cater to customer needs, so as to empower the international supply chain through logistics."

The first launch of the sea-rail intermodal RORO train for transporting exported Japanese/South Korean cars through the Asia-Europe Land-Sea Trade Corridor opened up a new channel for Japanese and South Korean car enterprises to export products to Central Asia and Europe. ITL Group hopes that more Japanese and South Korean companies will give the Corridor a chance.

ITL Group, its subordinate Xi’an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd. and related parties will always be committed to providing enterprises with efficient, high-quality and professional international multimodal transportation services that are responsive to the needs of customers, and actively participate in the construction of the Corridor. They will make greater contributions to Shaanxi's deep integration into the "Belt and Road" pattern, accelerated opening up, and construction of a highland for reform and opening up in Chinese inland!

The year 2022 marks the first year of the official entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). To better boost the economic and trade cooperation between local enterprises in Shaanxi and RCEP member countries, Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd. (ITL Multimodal Transportation) and Samsung SDS cooperated again and successfully launched the first "SDS & ITL" Rail-Sea Intermodal Train from Xi'an to Qingdao/Ningbo to Port Klang, Malaysia on August 10, 2022. The operation of this train symbolized the opening of a new international logistics channel from Xi'an to Malaysia.

The main goods of this rail-sea intermodal project are positive and negative plates, with a single container value of about USD 150,000. The container truck of Multimodal Transportation will be loaded at Samsung's battery factory in Xi'an, and then depart from Xi'an Guojigang (International Port) Railway Station, and arrive at Qingdao/Ningbo Port in 2-3 days via domestic railroad, and then arrive at Port Klang, Malaysia in 12 days after transferring to sea, with an estimated transportation time of about 16-17 days.

Samsung Group of South Korea is a large multinational enterprise with business all over the world. Xi'an factory is the largest overseas investment project in its history. The factory has effectively promoted the industrial transformation and upgrading of Shaanxi and further consolidated the position of Xi'an as a global base for the semiconductor industry.

After the launch of the "SDS & ITL" Rail-Sea Intermodal Train from Xi'an to Qingdao/Ningbo to Port Klang, Malaysia, more Shaanxi-based enterprises can enjoy a new logistics channel with higher efficiency.

Port Klang is an important port in Malaysia, an RCEP member country, and the first port in Malaysia with container routes. Located on the northeast coast of the Strait of Malacca, Port Klang enjoys an extremely superior geographical location, with an annual container throughput of more than 13 million TEU, making it one of the busiest ten container ports in Asia.

Actively Driving Economic and Trade Cooperation

China has become Malaysia's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years, and Malaysia's exports to China also set a record in 2021. China and Malaysia are highly complementary in the field of economy and trade. After the RCEP officially comes into effect, the economic and trade exchanges between the two countries are also expected to continue to expand to high-value-added manufacturing, information and communication technology, service industry, agriculture, renewable energy and other fields.

After the regular operation of the "SDS & ITL" Rail-Sea Intermodal Train from Xi'an to Qingdao/Ningbo to Port Klang, Malaysia, it will actively drive the economic and trade cooperation between China and Malaysia and promote the integrated development of logistics, trade and industry.

Future Looking ahead, ITL Multimodal Transportation will take the opening of this rail-sea intermodal train as an opportunity to actively explore wider-range, wider-field and deeper-level open cooperation, provide better rail-sea intermodal transportation solutions for clients participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, and build an international trade channel with high efficiency, low cost and excellent service in inland areas.

At the end of June 2022, to support epidemic prevention and control in the sister-city Chisinau, Moldova, Xi'an donated a ventilator to it. After receiving the task of guaranteeing air transportation for the donation, which was entrusted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Xi'an Municipal Committee, Xi'an International Inland Port Multimodal Transportation Co., Ltd. (ITL Multimodal Transportation) established a special transportation team for air freight and provided a complete set of logistics solutions covering air trunk lines and rapid customs clearance.

On July 7, the ventilator arrived in Chisinau and was donated to the Municipal Clinical Hospital of Contagious Diseases for Children in Chisinau. Yan Wenbin, China's Ambassador to Moldova, and Ion Ceban, Mayor of Chisinau, attended the donation ceremony. Now, the ventilator is in use and will assist in clinical decision-making and treatment. After completing the logistics guarantee of donating epidemic prevention supplies to Kazakhstan, ITL Multimodal Transportation once again ensured the air transportation of donating epidemic prevention suppliers of Xi'an.

Since 2021, on the basis of promoting the high-quality development of China Railway Express (Chang'an), ITL Multimodal Transportation has also actively launched diversified services such as air and sea transportation to provide clients with all-round and diversified comprehensive logistics solutions. Entrusted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Xi'an Municipal Committee, ITL Multimodal Transportation actively undertakes the air transportation task. While ensuring the timeliness of the transportation of epidemic prevention supplies, it has been fully recognized by the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Xi'an Municipal Committee and the Moldovan side.

Ventilator donation ceremony at the Municipal Clinical Hospital of Contagious Diseases for Children in Chisinau

On November 17, 2021, Xi'an established a sister-city relationship with Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. As the capital of a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Chisinau is an important hub of regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. In March of 2022, Moldova provided friendly support for China's organization to evacuate Chinese nationals from Ukraine. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic in Moldova was severe, and the Chinese government also provided emergency humanitarian assistance to Moldova in the first place. Xi'an has paid active attention to the situation of its sister city Chisinau, and donated a ventilator to the city according to the material needs and sent it to Chisinau as soon as possible. This batch of epidemic prevention suppliers will provide a reliable guarantee for local children and relieve the urgent need.

In November 2021, the two cities signed an agreement on establishing sister-city relations

The pandemic knows no borders. We believe that through sincere mutual assistance in the pandemic, Xi'an will be closer to the sister cities overseas. ITL Multimodal Transportation will further optimize the route operation plan, deeply integrate itself into the Belt and Road Initiative, and actively participate in the construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, to continuously improve the accessibility of the land corridor of the New Eurasian Land Bridge. It is determined to build the China Railway Express (Xi'an) Collaboration Center, and build an international trade corridor with high efficiency, low cost and excellent services in inland areas.