SOURCE / ECONOMY
First intl cargo route connecting Gansu with Central Asia opens
By Global Times Published: Aug 24, 2023 12:29 AM
A staff member puts newly-picked roses into buckets at a modern agricultural demonstration garden in Lanzhou New Area, Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, Aug. 1, 2023. By the end of July this year, the garden had produced more than 60 million fresh cut roses, with sales revenue exceeding 60 million yuan (about 8.4 million U.S. dollars).(Photo: Xinhua)

A staff member puts newly-picked roses into buckets at a modern agricultural demonstration garden in Lanzhou New Area, Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, Aug. 1, 2023. By the end of July this year, the garden had produced more than 60 million fresh cut roses, with sales revenue exceeding 60 million yuan (about 8.4 million U.S. dollars).(Photo: Xinhua)



 
A batch of mechanical parts and flowers weighing 16 tons and worth 1.65 million yuan was sent to Almaty from Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport on Wednesday, which marks the opening of Gansu's first international cargo route connecting with Central Asian countries. It also marks the province's efforts to open up to the West and to increase cooperation with Central Asian countries through the Belt and Road Initiative. 

The opening of the Lanzhou-Almaty route marks a higher level for Gansu’s exporting economy, and it will help foreign trade enterprises to expand their cargo business. The flight operations of Lanzhou airport are getting more stable, and the convenience of local logistics has been effectively improved, said Chen Mingyuan, a senior official at Gansu customs. 

Trade between Gansu and Central Asian countries is highly complementary. The opening of the Lanzhou-Almaty route will help the province to further its trade exchanges with Central Asian countries and promote Gansu's deep integration into the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, said Feng Lijie, a senior official at Zhongchuan International Airport. 

With the continuous high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, Gansu attaches great importance to the cooperation with Central Asian countries. The province has extended its collaboration with Central Asian countries in many sectors including trade, mining, education and technology. 

Gansu Province has been deepening its opening-up policy, and the province has opened 10 international cargo routes in recent years, with destinations including Bangkok, Lahore, Phnom Penh, Copenhagen, Liege and Moscow. Gansu is gradually gaining economic advantages through its unique geographic location, driving rapid development of its export-oriented economy.