Xi'an is one of the top three cargo-generating regions in China

UTLC ERA JSC, a company created on a parity basis by the railway administrations of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, provides container transportation services as part of accelerated container trains through the territory of the three shareholder countries. Our reporter talked to Alexei Grom, CEO of the company, which is participating in the 13th Western Logistics & Transportation EXPO in Xi'an.

During the past year, 2022, the company achieved an outstanding result, having transported 681 thousand containers. This is practically the same volume as in the record year 2021.

Alexei Grom emphasised that Xi'an is one of the three largest cargo-generating regions in the company's services. Transportation is carried out both in communication with European countries and in contact with Russia and Belarus.

According to the company, the largest transportation centres in Europe are Poland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary, which account for 99% of all China-Europe-China shipments carried out by UTLC ERA.

Shipments from several countries along the "Belt and Road" to and from China increased several times in 2022. For example, the export of lumber, paper, polyethene and other cargo from Russia, as well as the transportation of potash fertilisers from Belarus to China, as well as imports from China to Russia, are segments that occupy a significant share in the total volume of UTLC ERA JSC.

In turn, China's trade with countries along the "Belt and Road" grew by 19.4% in 2022 and amounted to almost 1/3 of the total volume of Chinese foreign trade. Mutual investments in the Belt and Road countries are also growing: in 2022, their importance was $270 billion.

Alexei Grom noted that China is the world's largest centre of origin and absorption of cargo flows. There are significant Chinese investments in transport infrastructure, technology development, and active work to attract shippers to the railroads, and UTLC ERA fully supports these initiatives.

"Certainly, one of the main achievements since the launch of the first China-Europe train in 2011 has been the formation of a sustainable transport artery in Eurasia, with several corridors and many routes that complement and support each other," added Alexei Grom.