Guangxi free trade zone boosts China's opening-up efforts

Trucks enter China through Youyiguan, or Friendship Pass, on the China-Vietnam border in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo courtesy of the Department of Commerce in Guangxi)

A 12-lane truck inspection channel at the China-Vietnam border operates at full capacity daily, highlighting the bustling trade in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The checkpoint, located at Youyiguan, or Friendship Pass, in the Chongzuo area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone, processes cross-border vehicles. Truck drivers clear customs in under 15 seconds using facial and fingerprint scans.

"Vehicles arriving on the same day can depart for Vietnam on the same day," said Wang Shuqing, operations supervisor at Guangxi Dongju Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. The efficient customs clearance process has greatly boosted Wang's confidence in the cross-border freight business.

Since its establishment in 2019, the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone has introduced 169 innovative policies, which have since been widely adopted across the region. It occupies a small fraction of the region's land but accounts for 37.5 percent of its utilized foreign investment and 38.5 percent of its total foreign trade.

Faster transport accelerates goods to global markets

Photo shows an automated container terminal at Qinzhou Port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Yan Lizheng)

At Qinzhou Port in Guangxi, ships carrying over 10,000 tonnes of cargo come and go. Thousands of containers, resembling oversized Lego blocks, crowd their decks. Crane arms hoist containers onto docked ships every few minutes.

In the command center of Zhonggu Qinzhou Container Intermodal Logistics Base, operators use artificial intelligence to manage automated operations with a single touch.

Photo shows the command center of Zhonggu Qinzhou Container Intermodal Logistics Base in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Photo/Liang Zhanghui)

Over the past five years, Qinzhou Port has handled 864 million tonnes of cargo and 25.88 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers. It has also coordinated 36,550 sea-rail intermodal trains on the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

Construction of the China-Vietnam Friendship Pass smart port in Pingxiang, Guangxi, began a major road-building phase in early August. The project, the first cross-border smart port between China and Vietnam, aims to complete the Chinese section by year's end.

Shi Bo, an official at the Friendship Pass border checkpoint, says the completed smart port will allow 24-hour automated customs clearance for vehicles, streamlining cross-border transportation.

Over the past five years, the sea-rail intermodal transportation network along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor has expanded to 18 provinces in China. The corridor now reaches 518 ports in 124 countries and regions worldwide.

Free trade facilitates industry development

A data screen at a China-ASEAN fruit trading center, located in the Chongzuo area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone, displays real-time updates on fruit transactions, volumes and amounts.

Photo shows fruits on display at the exhibition center in a China-ASEAN fruit trading center, located in the Chongzuo area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone. (Photo courtesy of the Department of Commerce in Guangxi)

Deng Qin, deputy general manager of Pingxiang International Trade Development Group Co., Ltd., said the fruit trading center's core area now covers about 100 mu (6.67 hectares) of land, supporting customs, distribution and online sales.

In the dried fruit production workshop of Guangxi Junyi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. in the Chongzuo area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone, fresh fruits are transformed into fruit pulp, slices, jelly cubes and quick-frozen products on the production line.

Workers process dried mango slices in the dried fruit production workshop of Guangxi Junyi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., located in the Chongzuo area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone. (People's Daily Online/He Ning)

"The geographical advantages, favorable policies and environment here are key factors that drew us to set up operations, providing conveniences in accessing Southeast Asian fruit resources, diversifying product categories and extending the production processing cycle," said Shen Wuyang, deputy general manager of Guangxi Junyi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

A land of business opportunities

In May, the first batch of used cars from the Nanning area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone cleared customs at Torugart Port in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, bound for Armenia. This marked the successful launch of Nanning's first used car export business.

In the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park, located in the Qinzhou port area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone, construction is in full swing for a project by a grain, oil and food technology company, part of the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" model between China and Malaysia, it will serve as a hub for palm products trade and logistics.

Photo shows the construction site of a project by a grain, oil and food technology company in the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park, located in the Qinzhou port area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone. (Photo/Liang Zhanghui)

Over the past five years, the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone has attracted over 100,000 companies, a 28-fold increase since its establishment.