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Hinterland province Gansu seeks to strengthen trade with Central Asia

CHINA's western hinterland province Gansu is drafting a plan to enhance its role in the Silk Road economic belt, and hope to strengthen trade, logistics and cultural cooperation with Central and Western Asian countries, Xinhua reports.

During recent years, Gansu's economic and trade cooperation with Central and Western Asia has been expanding. Last year, the province's trade with these regions valued $1.5 billion.

Yang Liya, an official from the Gansu government said that China is seeking new emerging markets while the world economy is weak and the European and American markets become saturated. Central, Western Asia and Russia will become the new focus and Gansu province should exploit its potential by developing westward.

Gansu plans to launch international flight services to major cities in Central, Western Asia and Middle East. Its new international flight service will be to Kazakhstan. The province is also in talk with relevant authorities on the inauguration of flight service to Pakistan.

The province is also applying for operation of international service at the Dunhuang airport and the reopening of Mazongshan Checkpoint.

Gansu also plans to turn the railway classification yard and container railway terminal at Lanzhou city into international railway transport hub, and will seek to inaugurate international railway cargo service from Lanzhou running on the New Eurasian Land Bridge, said Zhang Shien, another official from the Gansu government.

Gansu's Lanzhou New Area has filed application to the China State Council for setting up a comprehensive bonded zone. After it gets approval, exports from Gansu to South Asia and Central Asia and be moved by road rather than by sea, which is cost saving. This will attract exporters targeting Central/Western Asian and Central/Eastern European markets.

Mr Zhang said Gansu plans to increase trade with the Central Asian region via Xinjiang's Khorgas border checkpoint, and will make Iran and Belarus as the first stop of expansion respectively in the Western Asia and Central/Eastern Europe. Gansu has set up an commercial representative office at Khorgas to strengthen connection with Xinjiang's authority so as to receive more information about the Central Asian market.