Qingdao opens the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan route, creating a new passage for goods from China's eastern coastal regions to Central Asia. [Photo/Guanhai News]

Recently, four containers loaded with medical products were transported from Qingdao, Shandong province to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. This journey was planned to take seven days under an international customs transit system known as Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR).

Following the success of the China-Russia Express, Qingdao has successfully opened its second TIR transport route – the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan route. The new route has created a passage for goods from Qingdao and the eastern coastal regions to Central Asia.

This is just a snapshot of Qingdao's continuous efforts in constructing international logistics corridors and opening up.

Since last year, Qingdao has employed the China Transfar (SCO) International Logistics Port to accelerate the development of the TIR transport hub, which facilitates customs clearance for international road transport. The new TIR model has demonstrated vibrant growth from its inception to full-scale operations.

In September 2023, Qingdao opened its first TIR international road transport route called the China-Russia Express. After nearly a year of concentrated efforts, the Qingdao TIR international road transport channel made serious headway, with shipping routes covering major cities in Russia such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg, as well as Belarus.

So far, three carrying companies in Qingdao have regularly operated the China-Russia Express and made over 120 trips with a cumulative export trade value exceeding 67 million yuan ($9.41 million) that leads the nation in shipping volume.

In terms of total shipping volume, in the first half of this year, Qingdao's TIR cross-border transport volume ranked first in the province and second nationwide, accounting for 30 percent of the country's total.