Wanxu Dong: Without development of Middle Corridor, it will be difficult to maintain cargo flow from China to Europe

A joint venture between the railways of China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia will improve procedures and service quality within the Middle Corridor, Chairman of Beijing Trans Eurasia International Logistics Wanxu Dong said at the conference in Baku "Black Sea-Caspian Logistics Forum 2025: Corridors, Cargo, Infrastructure," Report informs.

"As participants in the Middle Corridor, we must be confident that we will be able to restore and develop this route. I think the answer is already obvious to everyone: infrastructure development, construction and effective coordination are needed. In the north, there is the UTOC organization, which is responsible for coordinating border issues, document flow and Agreement on International Rail Freight Traffic rules. We need a similar structure here. As you know, a joint venture has already been created between the railways of China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia. We hope that this joint venture will be able to establish procedures and improve the quality of service on the Middle Corridor," he said.

Dong believes that the development of freight transportation and optimization of services along the Middle Corridor is one of the main tasks facing the countries of the region.

According to him, one of the main problems on the Middle Corridor is unfavorable weather conditions, capacity restrictions during peak seasons and loss of time during document flow.

"In August-October last year, the transit time was stable - from Xi'an to Duisburg on average 30 days. However, in November, due to unfavorable weather conditions and increased load, the waiting time at the port of Aktau increased to 30 days. This leads to a loss of customers. If we do not jointly develop this corridor, it will be difficult to maintain the cargo flow from China to Europe," said Dong.