Building a strong channel, Shaanxi opens up a Xintiandi of cooperation with Central Asia
In the first ten months of this year, Shaanxi's imports and exports to Central Asia amounted to 9.44 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 29.7%. Behind this impressive trade report is the innovative practice of Shaanxi in building a strong land air three-dimensional channel.
From the mechanical roar of Kazakhstan's Xi'an Terminal, to the air network of Xi'an aviation hub radiating to Central Asia, and to several "first" trade innovation breakthroughs, Shaanxi continues to release the effect of China Central Asia Xi'an Summit, speed up the building of inland reform and opening up highlands, and open up a new world of cooperation and development with Central Asia.
The 'Steel Camel Team' gallops through Central Asia
On November 20th, in Xi'an Port, Kazakhstan, a digital screen was displaying real-time cargo information. This 100 acre logistics hub has accumulated and transported over 150000 tons of goods since its opening in 2024.
In June of this year, its "twin hub" - the China Xi'an Kazakhstan Terminal located in Almaty - was officially put into operation. This is the first overseas station project built and operated in Shaanxi, becoming the "first station" of China's westward opening channel.
The completion of the "dual terminals" marks a historic upgrade of China Kazakhstan logistics cooperation from "point-to-point" to "hub to hub". The transportation routes radiate to more than 10 countries along Central Asia, Russia, and the Trans Caspian Sea, reducing transportation time from 7 days to 5 days and reducing costs by 10.3%, creating new achievements in the operation of the China Kazakhstan corridor. In the first ten months of this year, Shaanxi's imports and exports to Kazakhstan amounted to 5.32 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 1.3 times, accounting for "half of Shaanxi's total trade with Central Asia" during the same period.
With the booming development of Central Asian trade, the core indicators of the China Europe freight train (Xi'an) have achieved significant breakthroughs.
As of the end of October, the China Europe freight train (Xi'an) has operated a total of 31453 trains, accounting for about a quarter of the country's total; Open 18 international transportation routes and regularly operate 7 Central Asian train routes from Xi'an to Almaty, Kazakhstan, Kustanay, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, etc. In the first ten months of this year, the China Europe freight train (Xi'an) operated a total of 5063 trains, a year-on-year increase of 16.3%. Among them, 1146 trains were operated in the Central Asian direction, a year-on-year increase of 75.8%.
The rapid growth of quantity has put forward higher requirements for the regulatory efficiency of trains. Last year, Xi'an Customs promoted the launch of the China Europe freight train comprehensive digital service platform, which was the first in the country to achieve data connectivity between customs and railways.
At the export consolidation center of Xi'an Railway Port, a batch of electronic parts from the Yangtze River Delta were quickly cleared through "inspection before packing". Previously, it took 4 hours to unpack and inspect complex goods at the port; now it can be inspected before packing, avoiding unpacking losses and shortening the overall customs clearance time by 2 to 3 days, "said Yu Yao, Deputy General Manager of Sanzhilong (Ningbo) Science and Trade Co., Ltd.
Since the beginning of this year, Xi'an Customs has deeply implemented the "Spring Breeze" action, improved the multimodal transport supervision system, promoted the trial operation of the second phase of the smart logistics supervision system, linked all supervision places such as imported grain, imported meat, cross-border e-commerce, and bulk cargo consolidation, and achieved full coverage of business in multiple scenarios, making enterprise cargo clearance more efficient and worry free.
The 'Air Silk Road' connects eight cities
In July of this year, the direct flight route from Xi'an to Shymkent, Kazakhstan was opened, upgrading the Central Asian network from "five countries and seven cities" to "five countries and eight cities".
As an important gateway city in Central Asia, Shymkent has a deep historical connection and close economic and trade exchanges with Xi'an. The opening of this route further enhances the radiation capacity of Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, "said the relevant person in charge of Western Airport Group.
In recent years, practical cooperation in various fields between Xi'an and Central Asian countries has continued to deepen, and Xi'an Xianyang International Airport has become the domestic hub with the most air routes between China and Asia. At present, there are 14 weekly passenger flights between Xi'an and Central Asian countries, with an annual guaranteed passenger volume of nearly 100000 people, ranking among the top three in the country in terms of passenger volume.
The encryption and expansion of flight routes have put forward higher requirements for the airport's security capabilities.
This year, the T5 terminal of Xi'an Xianyang International Airport has been completed and put into use, with an annual flight takeoff and landing capacity of 600000. During the evolution of Terminal 5 from a blueprint to an "aerial lounge", Xi'an Customs has taken the "Smart Customs Strong Country" initiative as a guide, deepening digital transformation and intelligent upgrading, and promoting the construction of a first-class domestic aviation port.
In the past, incoming passengers had to complete eight steps including radiation inspection and temperature monitoring when passing through customs. Now, we have innovatively configured an "eight in one" multifunctional channel, which has achieved a "second level" speed for passengers to pass through customs. After the T5 terminal is put into operation, incoming passengers can be released within 10 seconds of entering the channel, greatly improving customs clearance efficiency. ”Introduction by Qi Bo, Director of Customs at Xi'an Xianyang Airport.
In terms of cargo transportation, Xi'an Customs supports Xi'an Xianyang International Airport in successfully opening a full cargo route from Xi'an to Tashkent and Almaty, with an annual cargo and mail throughput of 14800 tons, further consolidating Xi'an's position in the aviation market in Central Asia.
More efficient and convenient international logistics have brought new supply options to the Central Asian market and provided more aviation support for Shaanxi to build an inland reform and opening-up highland. At present, Xi'an Xianyang International Airport has formed a cluster for the import and export of characteristic goods such as automotive parts, semiconductor materials, and pharmaceutical reagents.
The 'first' export opens a new chapter
In May of this year, more than 8900 wooden doors and accessories produced by Shaanxi Zhonghe Forest Industry Co., Ltd. were sold for the first time to Kazakhstan at the railway port of Chanba International Port in Xi'an, China. They were transported by the China Europe freight train "Shang Western Europe" and gained an advantage in exploring the Central Asian market.
In response to the export characteristics of wooden doors, Shangluo Customs has innovated its supervision mode. Through the intelligent customs platform, it can real-time grasp the production, inspection, customs clearance and other information of exported products, achieve full chain and all-round supervision of exported products, and implement rapid inspection and release.
Customs' hands-on guidance and guidance not only reduce the export costs of enterprises, but also increase our courage to venture into the world and seize orders, "sighed Chen Xiaohong, the person in charge of Shaanxi Zhonghe Forest Industry Co., Ltd.
Agricultural cooperation continues to deepen, nurturing fruitful results.
According to the results of the China Central Asia Xi'an Summit, China has provided Tajikistan with advanced apple planting technology and management experience. This not only helps local farmers improve apple production and quality, but also provides a greater platform for China's agricultural technology to "go global".
To facilitate the smooth export of high-quality apple seedlings, Weinan Customs provides "one factory, one product, one policy" supervision services, opens up a "green channel" for local inspection of fresh and perishable agricultural products, and promotes the export of the first batch of 16000 apple seedlings to Tajikistan.
These seedlings are mainly used for the construction of the "Zhongta Friendship Apple Orchard", consisting of three varieties: Qinfu No.1, Yuhua Zaofu, and Qinyang. In order to ensure the quality of the seedlings, we have adopted advanced cultivation techniques and strict quality control. After 3 years of cultivation, the survival rate has reached 98%, "said Cheng Yongqin, the sales manager of Xinghua Fruit and Vegetable Co., Ltd. in Baishui County.
These "seedlings of friendship" that embody Chinese wisdom, Shaanxi sincerity, and Weinan flavor are thriving, witnessing the pragmatic cooperation between China and Tajikistan in agriculture.
New opportunities bring new expectations, and new cooperation opens up a Xintiandi for development.
As the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, Shaanxi is deeply integrated into the overall pattern of jointly building the "the Belt and Road", and the economic and trade road is full of vitality. From January to October, Shaanxi's main export commodities to Central Asia were automobiles, textiles and clothing, and agricultural products, with exports of 2.12 billion yuan, 390 million yuan, and 290 million yuan, respectively; The main imported goods are agricultural products and crude oil, with imports of 1.31 billion yuan and 430 million yuan respectively.
(Translated from Shaanxi Daily on November 24, 2025)