Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, will accelerate its efforts to become a major channel for international logistics for ASEAN and turn the city into a hub for cross-border transportation, officials announced on Dec 4.

Liang Peizheng, director of the Nanning bureau of commerce, said that Nanning has been devoting efforts in developing multimodal transport and building logistics networks connecting ASEAN countries, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as Central and West China to serve the construction of projects like the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and the Nanning area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

At present, Nanning has included 53 projects into the three-year action for infrastructure construction of the logistics network in the city, with an overall investment of more than 50 billion yuan ($7.65 billion)

Nanning is the closest provincial capital city to ASEAN in China and is also an important node city connecting the Belt and Road. The cross-border transportation scale in Nanning has been further expanded in recent years, while its rail and aviation cargo transportation volume for ASEAN has seen rapid growth.

By the end of November, a total of 144 China-Vietnam (Nanning-Hanoi) cross-border trains have been conducted this year. Three cargo airlines between Nanning and ASEAN countries have also been put into operation.