From January to November this year, Jiangsu’s trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) amounted to 1.35 trillion yuan, an increase of 13.8% year on year, according to Nanjing Customs. 

During the period, the China-Kazakhstan logistics base in Lianyungang City dispatched 685 cross-border freight trains, a year-on-year growth of 21.9%. 

File photo of the China-Kazakhstan logistics base in Lianyungang City.

Zuo Xuemei, vice general manager of Lianyungang China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Co Ltd, said the freight train service needs only half of the transportation time by sea and increases the capital repatriation efficiency by 40% for clients. As a result, increasing number of domestic and foreign companies are choosing the container-based transport from Lianyungang, which is running at full capacity now. 

The continuous BRI development has made made-in-Jiangsu products popular in more countries. For example, in Taicang, the motorcycle industry has contributed to the rising foreign trade. The city’s customs recently performed inspection of a batch of motorbikes at Sundiro Honda Motorcycle Co Ltd before the export to the Philippines. 

In the first 11 months of this year, the company’s imports and exports volume with BRI countries rose 151% year on year to 260 million yuan. Liu Fang, the overseas business manager of Sundiro Honda, said the company imports parts from Thailand, assembles in Taicang, and exports motorcycles to Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries. From January to November, the company has applied for 25 certificates of origin for its exports, which are estimated to help reduce the tariff by $117,000, this has enhanced the competitiveness of the company's products.