Singapore and the Chinese municipality of Chongqing have signed two joint venture agreements contributing to the development of the CCI Southern Transport Corridor, the Belt and Road branch connecting western China and South-East Asia. The ventures, signed yesterday, are known as the Chongqing Logistics Development Platform (CLDP) and the Multi-Modal Distribution and Connectivity (DC) Centre.

The CLDP venture will develop multi-modal logistics standards and practices for rail, air, river and road transport modes and support the development of logistics facilities and services such as supply chain solutions. The DC Centre will implement the CLDP’s logistics solutions and serve as a physical facility for multi-modal operations in Chongqing.

Shorter journey

The ventures support the development of cargo train services along the corridor from Chongqing to Beibu Gulf in Guangxi. Via rail, travel time from the Chinese south-western coastal region to Chongqing will be reduced to fewer than three days, from the current ten days through the Yangtze River route.

“This benefits traders exporting from South-east Asia for distribution in West China. Compared to air freight and sea-land connections, sea-rail connection is the most effective for companies exporting to inland markets, especially for perishable products,” said the International Enterprise Singapore.