March 13, 2026, Qingdao. With a loud whistle piercing through the morning mist, seven heavy trucks hanging blue TIR logos slowly drove out of the Silk Road E-commerce Comprehensive Service Base located in the China Shanghai Cooperation Organization Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone.

This is not only a regular departure, but also marks the official opening of the first TIR international road transportation route directly to Azerbaijan in the SCO demonstration zone. A golden land route connecting the eastern coast of China with the Caucasus region of West Asia has been fully connected.

One certificate connects the world

The biggest highlight on this new route is undoubtedly the deep application of the TIR system.

Unlike the cumbersome inspections of traditional road transportation, the TIR system is a global customs clearance system based on the United Nations Convention on International Road Transport. At present, there are over 70 contracting parties worldwide, covering the major economies of the Eurasian continent.

With one certificate in hand, there is no worry about clearing customs.

Under this system, vehicles holding TIR certificates only need to go through customs procedures at the place of origin and destination, and do not need to undergo repeated unpacking inspections when passing through various countries. Data shows that this sealed customs clearance mode can shorten cross-border transportation time by 30% to 50% compared to traditional road transportation, and reduce logistics costs by about 20%. For high-end manufacturing equipment with high added value and time sensitivity, this is undoubtedly the lifeline.

A hundred ton heavy vessel spans thousands of miles in 13 days

This debut team is loaded with nearly 120 tons of Chinese made intelligent vehicles.

This is not an ordinary product, but a high-end manufacturing equipment of Chinese domestic brands, including core equipment such as large industrial cooling boxes and high-precision composite machines for production lines. They set out from the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone, left the country through the Khorgos Port in Xinjiang, crossed the Caspian Sea coast of Kazakhstan, and finally arrived in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

The entire journey is about 10000 kilometers and is expected to take only 13 days.

Compared to traditional sea freight which takes 30 to 40 days, this new route has reduced the transportation cycle by two-thirds. After the goods arrive, they will be directly delivered to the warehouse through the local distribution network and quickly put into production. This batch of equipment will serve the local energy and infrastructure construction, becoming a vivid footnote to the deep integration of SCO manufacturing and SCO demand.

The hardcore power behind data

The opening of the new line cannot be separated from the continuous cultivation and nurturing of Qingdao Transportation Bureau.

In recent years, Qingdao has been committed to building an international comprehensive transportation hub, using TIR transportation as a breakthrough point. This opening has further opened up the road transportation channel between the eastern coast of China and West Asia, greatly improving the level of cross-border trade facilitation, "said Xu Zhen, Deputy Director of Qingdao Transportation Development Center. This is not only a logistics line, but also a key link for Qingdao to enhance its international radiation capability.

Data is the most powerful proof:

Leading the country: By 2025, the TIR shipment volume of the SCO demonstration zone will steadily rank first in the country, with a cumulative shipment of 7657.7 tons of goods and a value of up to 280 million yuan.

Initial formation of the network: Currently, the SCO demonstration zone has accelerated the development of a dense TIR network and opened five international road transportation routes, including China Russia, China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan, and China Kazakhstan.

Diversified radiation: business covers the SCO and more than 20 countries along the the Belt and Road.

From Single Point Breakthrough to Silk Road E-commerce Ecology

Fu Zhonghua, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of the SCO Demonstration Zone, stated in an interview that the demonstration zone is not just building a passage, but also building an ecosystem.

We will rely on the 'Silk Road E-commerce' comprehensive service base to build an efficient and smooth new Asia Europe land logistics channel, "said Fu Zhonghua. In the future, this will not only be a gathering place for vehicles, but also a convergence point for information flow, capital flow, and commercial flow. By improving the industrial outbound logistics service system, more Chinese made products such as new energy vehicles, smart home appliances, and precision machinery can quickly reach the Eurasian hinterland through the TIR network.

The global mission of national level platforms

As the only national level platform in China that engages in local economic and trade cooperation with SCO countries, the strategic position of SCO demonstration zones is self-evident.

It is not only a concentrated display area for cultural elements of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, but also a strong magnetic field for economic and trade resources. From hosting major open events to experimental fields for institutional innovation, the SCO Demonstration Zone has become an international cooperative public product jointly built by multiple parties and shared globally. SCO Demonstration Zone, Azerbaijan, TIR Special Line

With the opening of this new route to Azerbaijan, an international logistics corridor pattern is accelerating, connecting Japan and South Korea to the east, Shanghai Cooperation Organization to the west, ASEAN to the south, and Russia to the north.Editor/Cheng Liting