From January to October 19 this year, the Hunan Huaihua International Land Port has operated 945 railway freight trains, totaling 47,276 TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 22%. Based on this growth trend, the annual volume of train arrivals and departures is expected to exceed 1,200… Nestled among mountains, Hunan’s Huaihua sees international freight trains departing from here with sounding whistles, heading towards the globe, rapidly emerging as a new highland for inland opening-up.
The Hunan Huaihua International Land Port is becoming the “Golden Gateway” connecting with ASEAN. Photo by Lei Mingxiong
Located at the intersection of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor and the Shanghai-Kunming International Trade Corridor, Huaihua is Hunan Province’s only freight consolidation center oriented towards ASEAN. Its geographical position “connecting the south and north, linking the east and west” makes it a “Golden Gateway” for engaging with ASEAN. The rapid development of the International Land Port is injecting strong open economic momentum into this inland city.
Currently, the Huaihua International Land Port has established an extensive logistics network, having opened 196 international and domestic routes. It has formed 7 major international logistics arteries: the rail-sea intermodal transport channels from Huaihua to Beibu Gulf Port, Guangzhou Port, Shenzhen Port, and Zhanjiang Port, as well as cross-border railway channels such as China-Laos, China-Vietnam, and China-Myanmar. The transport network radiates to 216 ports and stations in 69 countries and regions globally.
Regarding customs clearance facilitation, Huaihua Customs has established “point-to-point” cooperation mechanisms with customs offices along the route, such as those in Mengla, Pingxiang, and Qinzhou Port. It has also innovatively implemented reform measures like “advanced declaration, direct loading and unloading,” promoted the “Railway Express Clearance” model, and provides 24-hour appointment-based customs clearance services to ensure the efficient passage of international freight trains. The Huaihua International Land Port has been successfully included in the implementation scope of the land departure port tax rebate policy and actively coordinates port container consolidation policies with railway freight rate discounts, achieving reductions of up to 62% in railway freight rates.
In terms of regional cooperation, the Huaihua International Land Port actively promotes the implementation of the “Three-Province Cooperation Agreement” between Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi, attracting cargoes such as ammonium sulfate, photovoltaic products, and general merchandise from Hubei, Jiangxi, and Jiangsu to consolidate in Huaihua before going directly to ASEAN. This year, the Huaihua International Land Port cooperated for the first time with the New Land-Sea Corridor Ningxia Company, using a “bulk-to-container” cross-border rail-rail transport method to ship 2,500 tons of chemical products from Northwest China to Vietnam. This method improved efficiency by 50% and reduced logistics costs by 30% compared to the traditional rail-sea transport model.
The rapid development of the Huaihua International Land Port has effectively promoted the growth of the local open economy. From 2022 to 2024, Huaihua City’s import and export value with other member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) achieved an average annual growth of 87.23%, with its import and export growth rate ranking first in Hunan Province for three consecutive years. Leveraging the International Land Port platform, Huaihua’s local specialty products are accelerating their “going global” process. Bamboo and wood resources from the Huijingtong area are processed and value-added into products like bamboo sticks and tableware, which are exported to ASEAN via international freight trains.
Looking ahead, the Huaihua International Land Port is steadily advancing towards its “Three Ten Million” goal for 2025: achieving a cargo throughput of 10 million tons, operating 1,200 freight trains, and reaching a total port area output value exceeding 100 billion yuan. Huaihua is deepening its engagement with RCEP member countries, promoting the construction of the “ASEAN resources – Huaihua manufacturing – RCEP market” cross-border industrial chain. The Huaihua International Land Port is transforming from a “logistics channel” into an “economic corridor,” realizing a virtuous cycle of “gathering industries through the port, revitalizing the city through industries, and nurturing the port through the city.” (End)
