In the globalized trade landscape, the openness of ports directly impacts regional economic development. As an important inland city, Lanzhou faces the prominent challenge of insufficient import operations and a shortage of large-scale enterprises in this sector.
Liu Lei, Deputy Director of the Port Management Office at Lanzhou Municipal Commerce Bureau, explained in an interview that while port management and operation represent a new field for the city, Lanzhou is actively working to establish international logistics corridors.
In recent years, leveraging the Lanzhou Railway Port, the city has launched multiple international freight train services including the "Lanzhou" Central Asia, China-Europe, and South Asia rail-road intermodal transport routes, along with the new International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. These initiatives have effectively connected trade routes between Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport, as a national Class I aviation port, has significantly expanded its international routes. New flight paths include Lanzhou-Dubai, Lanzhou-Dhaka (Bangladesh), and Melbourne (Australia)-Lanzhou.
To optimize customs clearance efficiency and improve the business environment, the Lanzhou Municipal Commerce Bureau has collaborated closely with Lanzhou Customs to implement nationwide customs integration reforms. These efforts include promoting the "Single Window" system for international trade, streamlining port-related costs, and enhancing cross-regional cooperation to strengthen the port's economic influence.
Since December 2018, Lanzhou Customs has reduced export clearance time to 1.2 hours - a 98.75% reduction compared to 2017 levels. Import clearance time has been shortened to 8.48 hours, representing an 82.62% improvement, demonstrating significant progress in trade facilitation.
Moving forward, the Lanzhou Municipal Commerce Bureau will continue regular operations of the "Lanzhou" international freight trains, encouraging businesses to explore markets along the Belt and Road initiative. The city aims to strengthen cooperation with logistics and freight forwarding companies in partner countries to improve operational capacity at logistics nodes and enhance regular train services.
The city will also focus on developing the new International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, with particular emphasis on improving platform companies' operational capabilities. This includes organizing cargo sources, identifying potential export resources, and conducting comparative analyses to encourage greater utilization of this trade route.
To maximize designated port functions, the Lanzhou Municipal Commerce Bureau will collaborate with Lanzhou New Area to improve operations at specialized ports for imported frozen seafood, fruit, and meat inspection facilities. The city plans to attract experienced import distributors and top-tier processing enterprises to expand business scale and better serve western and northwestern China's market demands.
By the end of December 2018, international freight trains had transported 346 shipments to Central Asia (worth approximately $1.015 billion), 11 China-Europe shipments ($13 million), and 159 South Asia shipments ($428 million). Lanzhou is actively leveraging its logistics advantages to achieve higher levels of international trade, providing essential momentum for local and regional economic growth.
