The train loaded with 100 imported automobiles from the UAE departs from East Qinzhou Port Station to Lanzhou, Gansu province. [Photo by Chen Lei/China News Service]

A sea-rail intermodal train loaded with 100 imported automobiles from the United Arab Emirates departed from East Qinzhou Port Station to Lanzhou, Gansu province on March 4, marking the opening of the UAE-Qinzhou-Lanzhou sea-rail intermodal train route for imported automobiles on the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

It has also marked the first time that automobiles imported from the Middle East entered the Chinese market via the corridor. The UAE is an important node in the Middle East and is one of China's important trade partners. 

In recent years, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has been taking an active role in integrating into the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, establishing export hub ports along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. To date, cargo transported via the corridor can reach 91 stations in 41 domestic cities, as well as 311 ports in 106 countries and regions around the world. 

"With the expansion of the corridor's 'friend circle,' more and more cargo from all over the world passes through it, making many domestic and overseas businessmen interested in conducting global trade in the corridor," said Huang Guanghui of Qinzhou Station.

Statistics show that the total value of cargo imported to or exported by domestic cities via Guangxi reached 493.98 billion yuan ($78.18 billion) in 2021, up 35.3 percent year on year.