Yiwu Railway Port was born and has thrived because of the market, said Wu Pengfei, General Manager of Yiwu Land Port Railway Port Development Co., Ltd., on June 1 at the site in Zhejiang.
The origin of this "created from nothing" port dates back to 2006. At that time, Yiwu's foreign trade was entering a period of rapid growth, riding the momentum of China's accession to the World Trade Organization, and the city had already earned the title of "World Capital of Small Commodities." However, under China's existing port and railway construction management systems, Yiwu, as a county-level city, typically did not meet the conditions to independently build a national-level railway port.
In November of the same year, Zhejiang initiated the fourth round of pilot programs to expand the powers of strong counties. Yiwu was exclusively selected for this new round, with relevant documents mentioning "granting Yiwu City the same economic and social management authority as a prefecture-level city" and supporting the establishment of branches for customs, entry-exit inspection and quarantine, and foreign exchange management in Yiwu.
In 2011, the State Council officially approved the "Overall Plan for the Comprehensive Pilot Reform of International Trade in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province," granting Yiwu the authority to pilot reforms in areas such as trade facilitation, market procurement trade, port construction, and logistics systems. In December 2015, Yiwu Railway Port was temporarily opened to international traffic and is currently the only railway port in Zhejiang Province with temporary international access.
"For a county-level city, this means that the construction of an open platform has gained institutional space that breaks through the limitations of traditional administrative hierarchies," explained Wu Pengfei. The approval of the railway port was just the starting point. What has truly enabled the sustained development of this county-level city's railway port is the continuously growing demand for international trade and the progressively improving open platform system.
Today, Yiwu Railway Port is the starting station for the Zhejiang China-Europe Railway Express (Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe) and the starting port for the "Yiwu-Ningbo-Zhoushan" sea-rail intermodal transport. Among these, the Zhejiang China-Europe Railway Express has cumulatively opened 27 routes, reaching over 50 countries and regions across Asia and Europe. The sea-rail intermodal transport line from Yiwu to Ningbo Zhoushan Port is the largest rail-water intermodal transport channel in Zhejiang Province by volume.
In 2023, the nation's first pilot innovation for the "inspect before loading" supervision model for export consolidated cargo was implemented at Yiwu Railway Port. Wu Pengfei stated, "Currently, the 'inspect before loading' supervision model for export consolidated cargo, piloted first in Yiwu, has been promoted to multiple locations including Shenzhen. We are also continuing to explore more 'firsts'."
On the same day, Chen Kefeng, Deputy Director of the Yiwu Business Department of Hangzhou Railway Logistics Center, introduced that the local area is advancing the construction of a smart port, establishing a unified information platform to promote efficient communication and smoother processes among various links of the China-Europe Railway Express, thereby enhancing the operational quality and efficiency of the Zhejiang China-Europe Railway Express and exploring the formation of more development experience.
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