Under the dual background of the joint construction of the the Belt and Road initiative entering a new stage of high-quality development and the tenth anniversary of the launch of the China Singapore connectivity project, regional cooperation is moving towards a higher level of integration and three-dimensional. On December 15, 2025, Chongqing Yuzui Railway Freight Station located in western China witnessed a landmark scene: a Southeast Asian train bound for Singapore and a Central Asian train bound for Kazakhstan sounded their horns and set off simultaneously. This is not just an ordinary freight train split, but also a strategic practice of China and Singapore working together to organically connect the new land sea channel with the two major international logistics arteries of the China Europe freight train, aiming to build a new trade corridor spanning western China and connecting ASEAN and the Eurasian continent.

The logistics revolution and strategic coupling behind bidirectional departure

The core value of this international train, which operates in both directions, lies in the construction of a two-way circular logistics network. The Chongqing Southeast Asia train heading south adopts the rail sea intermodal transportation mode, with goods going out to sea through Qinzhou Port in Guangxi, connecting China's inland with the 21st century Maritime Silk Road. At the same time, the Chongqing Central Asia train to the west passes through the Alashankou Port and enters the hinterland of the Eurasian continent through international railway intermodal transportation. This south west layout cleverly connects the new land sea corridor facing Southeast Asia with the China Europe freight train network connecting Europe, achieving seamless collaboration between the Belt and Road Initiative in Chongqing.

This synergistic effect has brought tangible efficiency improvements. The railway freight station ensures the on-time and efficient operation of trains by implementing a guarantee mechanism of priority alignment, priority pick-up, and priority hanging. Its deeper significance lies in providing unprecedented logistics flexibility for the vast western region of China. Enterprises can flexibly choose trade routes through Southeast Asia or towards Central Asia and Europe based on market demand, significantly reducing logistics time and economic costs, and truly activating the open potential of inland areas.

Deepening from hard connectivity to soft connectivity

The successful operation of this train is not an isolated event, but the result of ten years of deep cultivation of the China Singapore Chongqing Strategic Interconnection Demonstration Project. Since the launch of the project, 33 pioneering institutional opening-up achievements have been explored and successfully opened up five channels, including the land sea new channel. As of October 2025, the footprint of the land sea new channel has reached 581 ports in 127 countries and regions worldwide, and the logistics network is becoming increasingly mature.

Standing at a new starting point of ten years, China Singapore cooperation is deepening from hard connectivity based on infrastructure to soft connectivity based on rules, standards, and digitization. On the same day that the train was launched, the two sides signed a new memorandum of understanding for cooperation, with a clear focus on building a new digital land sea channel, exploring smart logistics application scenarios, and strengthening collaborative innovation between green and digital economy in the next five years. This indicates that future cooperation will not only focus on the circulation of goods, but also strive to promote the interconnection of data, technology, finance, and green concepts. For example, both parties will explore cutting-edge issues such as blockchain based digital bills of lading and secure cross-border data transmission, aiming to create a future oriented smart economy corridor. Keywords: Overseas Land Port Logistics, Land Port Logistics News Network

The two trains departing from Yuzui Station carry far more than just the goods in the containers. They are a demonstration of international multimodal transport in the new era, a witness to the friendship and pragmatic cooperation between China and Singapore, and a powerful engine for driving regional economic integration and cultivating new international competitive advantages. As cooperation moves towards digitalization and green high-end, this trade corridor centered in Chongqing will undoubtedly inject more lasting and profound new momentum into cross-border cooperation and regional coordinated development.Editor/Cheng Liting