Cao Zhen

caozhen0806@126.com

DHL Global Forwarding, an international provider of air, sea and road freight services, sees the newly launched Shenzhen-Minsk China Railway Express as beneficial to both customers and freight business.

“The route covers several major cities along the Belt and Road. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, China and involved countries have facilitated their customs clearance process, which is a large benefit to logistics companies,” said Steve Huang, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Greater China.

In partnership with China Brilliant Group, an integrated service provider in global manufacturing and consumption, DHL will offer less-than-container load (LCL) and full-container load (FCL) services along the Shenzhen-Minsk rail route, the latest route in the DHL Asia-Europe-Asia multimodal network. DHL will also offer solutions including real-time GPS tracking of containers and fully managed customs clearance for the entire journey.

“With Shenzhen’s economy exceeding expectations to grow by 9 percent last year, the route opens sizable opportunities for European exporters looking to sell to one of China’s most vibrant trade and business hubs, or use it as an important gateway to Southeast Asia and the rest of the Chinese consumer market,” said Huang.

“The new route further supports strategic infrastructure projects designed especially to support the Belt and Road Initiative, such as the Great Stone Industrial Park, the largest joint project between China and Belarus that will span decades. It will also strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries and lay the groundwork for further rail connectivity to the Nordic and Middle Eastern states involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.”

According to Zhang Chunhua, president of China Brilliant Group, the weekly Shenzhen-Minsk China Railway Express now mainly transports Shenzhen’s electronic products and goods from neighboring Huizhou, Foshan and Xiamen. “The rail solution is cost-effective compared with air transport and cuts delivery time compared with sea freight. Reducing transport time helps capital turnover. Moreover, with the internationalization of the renminbi, the convenience of renminbi clearing also benefits the logistics business,” said Zhang.