Manzhouli border checkpoint first half freight volume increases 12pc

MANZHOULI, China's largest overland checkpoint bordering Russia, posted a 12 per cent growth year on year in import and export cargo volume to 14.1 million tonnes in the first half of the year, reports Xinhua.

The import cargo volume by railway grew 6.6 per cent to 8.3 million tonnes, while the exports increased 24 per cent to 1.14 million tonnes. Transit shipments by rail went up 34.5 per cent to 4.28 million tonnes. But the trucking volume dropped 8.3 per cent to 342,000 tonnes

As affected by the macro-economic situation in China and the slowdown of domestic economic growth since the beginning of this year, the trade market for bulk cargo such as timber, steel and coal has been sluggish.