In the early morning of Manzhouli, before the frost had dissipated, train horns had already sounded at the railway port. The train, loaded with daily necessities and high value-added goods, completed track changing, grouping, and inspection in one go, heading towards Poland and Germany; At the highway port, TIR trucks continue to depart, bringing the vitality of Chinese manufacturing into the heartland of Asia and Europe. This century old border town is growing from a "passage" to an important hub connecting the inside and outside.

Two way smooth connection

In the first three quarters of 2026, the import and export trade value of Manzhouli Port reached 241.55 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 42.5%, setting a new historical high for the same period. During the same period, 4658 China Europe freight trains entered and exited through ports, carrying 452000 TEUs, an increase of 34.7% and 25% year-on-year, respectively. From Russian grain and oil to domestically produced "new three types", the product structure continues to climb towards the mid to high end of the value chain, and the channel no longer only focuses on quantity, but also on gold content.

Behind it is the continuous loosening of the clearance mechanism. Customs will deliver policies to the doorstep of enterprises, set up dedicated windows to answer questions, and implement the deduction of freight charges for the return domestic section of the China Europe freight train; The combination of railway express and appointment inspection reduces the overall logistics cycle by one to two days. In the first half of 2026, the deduction of return shipping costs alone will result in a cost reduction of 47.662 million yuan and a tax reduction of 6.174 million yuan for enterprises.

Highway TIR acceleration

The story at the highway end is equally fresh. Manzhouli is deeply involved in TIR international road transportation, with one vehicle to the end and multiple countries recognizing it, without changing vehicles or reversing. From January to August 2026, 3062 TIR vehicles were inspected and released, with a freight volume of 43900 tons and a trade value of 6.286 billion yuan, ranking first in the country in terms of traffic volume.

What's even more impressive is the integration of business formats: TIR and cross-border e-commerce, TIR and bonded goods have successively landed, and the first national TIR and high-speed greenway fresh agricultural products have been successfully exported. The transportation routes have covered 16 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, and the ports in northern Xinjiang have put "fresh" and "fast" on cross-border shelves.

Ports are emerging from the new era

The passage has come alive, and the industry has grown along with it. In the mutual trade zone, Russian flaxseed and oats are processed into edible oil and miscellaneous grains through ground processing; From rough processing of logs to manufacturing solid wood cabins; Corn deep processing products are exported to more than 130 countries and regions. The Manzhouli TIR Assembly Center has started construction, with an annual freight processing capacity of 500000 tons, and the port is shifting from a channel economy to a landing economy.

From the sound of changing tracks in the morning light to the cloud customs declaration on the screen, Manzhouli has brought Asia and Europe closer together. 241.55 billion yuan is not the endpoint, but a new starting point for the continued northward extension of this steel Silk Road.Editor/Yang Meiling