CHONGQING — A China-Singapore land-sea trade corridor has linked 155 ports in 71 countries and regions worldwide, better connecting the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is a trade and logistics passage jointly built by western Chinese provinces and ASEAN countries under the framework of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity. It was renamed in November 2018 from the previous China-Singapore Southern Transport Corridor launched in 2017.

With Chongqing as the transportation hub, the corridor uses ports in Guangxi’s Beibu Gulf to reach ports in Singapore and other ASEAN countries and links China-Europe freight trains launched from many western Chinese cities before heading for Central Asia, South Asia and Europe.

Taking advantage of various transport options including railways, highways and water and air routes, the land-sea corridor enables transportation to more regions across the world.

Han Baochang, director of the demonstration initiative’s administration bureau, said the corridor, which links China-Europe freight trains and the Yangtze River, helps effectively connect the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

Han said by the end of 2018, freight trains had made 805 trips via the corridor since a faster rail-sea transit service was launched in September 2017.

Earlier longer and more costly logistics to the sea in East China was one of the bottlenecks that hindered the development of China’s western regions.