Tianjin is weaving a denser network of cooperation with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states through a newly launched, comprehensive service platform designed to streamline cross-border trade and logistics.
On September 7th, Fan Fulin, a business representative from Tianjin Tengda International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd., visited the Tianjin Port Container Business Service Center located within the Tianjin International Trade and Shipping Service Center to process transit procedures for a shipment of imported food from South Korea. The cargo is slated to travel via Tianjin Port onward to Mongolia.
"In recent years, we have seen an increase in shipments to Mongolia, and with the SCO member state business processing fast-track channel, we can get the necessary formalities done very quickly," Fan said. "This one-stop shop provides access to all container terminal companies at Tianjin Port, covering import, export, transit, transshipment, and sea-rail intermodal services, making it highly convenient for businesses."
Serving as a one-stop integrated service platform, the Tianjin International Trade and Shipping Service Center brings together a wide array of functions, including customs clearance, foreign trade, and shipping services, establishing itself as a crucial window for the Tianjin port area.
Where to begin exploring the new opportunities? A pivotal step was taken on September 3rd when the China-SCO Port Economic Cooperation Center (referred to as the SCO Port Economic Cooperation Center) was officially inaugurated at this location. This new entity is focused on three key areas: innovating port clearance models, facilitating maritime cooperation, and gathering port and shipping industry elements. Its goal is to weave a tighter service network for port cooperation with SCO member states and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.
On the day of its launch, a significant agreement was reached between Kazakhstan's Trade Policy Development Center and Tianjin Yinlong Group Co., Ltd. The two parties will collaborate to establish a Kazakhstan Port Economy Service Hall at the Tianjin International Trade and Shipping Service Center. This initiative aims to provide businesses from both nations with services such as product displays, trade and investment guidance, and policy consultations.
"Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country, and we currently have many Chinese clients in sectors like mineral products and grain. Leveraging the strengths of Tianjin Port, we can further expand our market reach," stated Askar Dairov, the Kazakhstan Trade Policy Development Center's representative in China.
Adding to the sentiment, Tianjin Yinlong Group Co., Ltd. Chairman Xie Zhifeng commented: "We will build upon our existing export business of prestressed steel strand for bridges and railway sleepers, while also leveraging the service hall as a platform. We aim to foster deeper economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and Kazakh enterprises, help Chinese companies 'go global' by exporting technology and services, and also introduce more high-quality Kazakh products into the Chinese market."
Why focus on this strategic hub? Grounded in its role as a "two-sector" link, Tianjin is actively positioning itself as a vital strategic node in northern China for connecting domestic and international economic circuits, deeply serving the connectivity and development of SCO member states. In the first seven months of this year, the city's import and export value with other SCO member states grew by 8.6 percent year-on-year. During the same period, Tianjin Customs supervised 458 China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains carrying 49,400 TEUs of goods, representing year-on-year increases of 9.8 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively.
With the establishment of the SCO Port Economic Cooperation Center, Tianjin's open platforms for serving SCO member states have been comprehensively upgraded. A representative from the Tianjin International Trade and Shipping Service Center noted that the city will adhere to the main line of high-quality integrated port-industry-city development, benchmark against market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized construction standards, and promote the implementation of key tasks for the SCO Port Economic Cooperation Center. Tianjin will continue to deepen all-around, deep-seated practical cooperation with SCO member states and Belt and Road Initiative countries in the port economy, gradually building a synergistic and efficient international port economic industry ecosystem.