In April, in the Century City New International Convention and Exhibition Center in Chengdu, Azerbaijani transportation officials, Polish railway representatives, and Chinese logistics giants gathered in front of a huge Asia Europe map. Their gaze was focused on a winding route through the Caspian Sea - the Trans Caspian International Transport Corridor. Just last week, the 8th International Supply Chain and Port Logistics Expo came to an end here. This grand event was given a more specific coordinate: the certainty of looking for logistics channels along the the Belt and Road in the first year of the 15th Five Year Plan.

Channel breakout

Under the geopolitical fluctuations, the traditional Eurasian Continental Bridge is facing challenges, and the intermediate corridor (trans Caspian route) is moving from the alternative to the forefront. For the first time, this exhibition has gathered more than 30 exhibition groups from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and other countries along the route, with the goal of building a stable new transportation artery between Asia and Europe. Uzbekistan Railway Company has introduced a new wide gauge plan, while China's Zhongyu Logistics has showcased a case of integrated transportation and trade from Zhengzhou to Europe via this channel. Data shows that in the first quarter of 2026, the number of China Europe regular trains will increase by nearly 30% year on year. The transport capacity of this southern channel is climbing rapidly, becoming the fastest growing pole in the the Belt and Road logistics landscape.

Rules break through walls

The logistics have been connected, but the documents are still a pain point. At the Second International Conference on Port Economic Development, the focus of discussions among customs officials shifted from hardware to software. The Organization for the Co operation of Railways (OSJD) and Chinese enterprises have focused on exploring the soft connectivity of multimodal transport rules and promoting the implementation of the single unit system. At the same time, smart customs has become a key breakthrough, with technologies such as blockchain electronic locks and AI intelligent release inspection appearing intensively at the exhibition, aiming to compress cross-border clearance efficiency from days to hours, and allow data to replace goods queuing at ports.

Industrial landing

Logistics along the the Belt and Road is not only a channel, but also an industry. During the Expo, nearly 50 international merchants specifically inspected Chengdu Qingbaijiang International Railway Port. This is not only a gathering place for China Europe freight trains, but also an industrial backup base. Exhibitors from Zhangye, Gansu told reporters that they are using the Western Land Sea New Corridor to connect with the China Europe freight train, shipping local agricultural products from Guangxi to ASEAN by sea, and returning Central Asian grain and oil resources to the western hinterland for processing. The model of this channel connecting economy and trade, and gathering industries through economy and trade, is putting inland cities at the forefront of opening up.

With the signing of the first 30 ecological partners, the the Belt and Road logistics cooperation has moved from a single breakthrough to network collaboration. In the first year of the 15th Five Year Plan, China's supply chain is using such platforms to transform channel advantages into rule advantages for global trade.Editor/Yang Meiling