Wang, an academician of China Academy of Engineering and a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, told the News of the World that the "Chongqing New Europe" international railway corridor is not a new railway, but a transportation corridor that optimizes the combination of existing railway lines and improves the customs clearance efficiency of countries and places along the route. The whole railway uses China's technology and equipment, which are standard tracks, so there is no problem of changing tracks between wide and narrow tracks, and it can go all the way to Europe without waiting for changing clothes and wagons, which will greatly alleviate the "fatigue" of goods. Before the "passage" was fully opened, China had held many negotiations with countries along the route. Despite some twists and turns, Wang said: "This railway has played a self-evident role in driving the economies of neighboring countries, and Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Iran and other countries have cooperated with this project very much." Wang revealed that after the completion of the railway, an international expressway will be built between China and Europe, thus comprehensively promoting the development of land transportation between China and Europe. "Prepare to make two big tunnels from Tianshan Mountain, and connect these areas from China to Europe on the highway. In addition, we are considering building a railway connecting western China and South Asia. In this way, the entire western region of China has been revitalized. " The opening of the "Chongqing-Chongqing New Europe" railway has provided more diversified export channels for products from inland provinces in China. Take Chongqing's booming IT industry as an example. A notebook computer made in Chongqing wants to enter the European market. Originally, there were only two ways to choose: one was the rail-sea combined transport channel, which was transported from Chongqing to the port of Shenzhen or Shanghai by rail, and then it took nearly a month to cross the Straits of Malacca and travel around Europe after loading; Second, direct air and sea transportation, 1 day can be reached, but the cost is extremely high. "Compared with sea transportation, railway time is saved by half; Compared with air transportation, it saves a lot of costs and is safer. " Wang told the News of the World reporter.
With such obvious advantages, enterprises from all countries along the way are keeping a close eye on every step of the construction of the "Chongqing-Chongqing New Europe" international railway corridor. Last June, before the trial operation of "Chongqing New Europe" in China, Kathy Rebecca, Governor of Antwerp, Belgium, visited Chongqing and Xi 'an to discuss the cooperation potential in transportation, economy, trade and logistics, and set up an economic and trade office in Chongqing. In February this year, freight forwarders' associations from six Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Mongolia, came to Chongqing to discuss how to use the "Chongqing-Chongqing New Europe" international railway corridor to strengthen the trade of goods with the inland of China. Governments of Germany, Hungary, Vienna and other countries also organized enterprises to visit Chongqing, hoping to set up logistics companies or offices in Chongqing.
According to the reporter of News of the World, some well-known foreign logistics enterprises have also begun to compete for the logistics cake that followed. Maersk Denmark, a world logistics giant, and Futaitong Logistics, a Japanese subsidiary of Fujitsu, have rushed to Chongqing. Xi 'an, another important town on the "Chongqing New Europe" line, also welcomed five international logistics enterprises.
With the opening of the "Chongqing-Chongqing New Europe" railway, the traditional foreign trade pattern of China, which is dominated by eastern coastal cities, has been broken. Experts pointed out that Chongqing, located in the hinterland, has become an important transit point and "bridgehead" for China's export to Europe. Chongqing logistics circle radiates southwest China and Southeast Asia, and goods from Vietnam and Laos can come to Chongqing and be transported to Europe. The Times commented that with the new railway directly transporting more goods to consumers in western Europe, Chongqing and western China will correspondingly become "more important engines" to promote the development of the world's second largest economy. Central Asia, located in the center of Eurasia, has a vast territory and an important strategic position, and has always been a battleground for military strategists. Its rich oil, natural gas and mineral resources are even more coveted and contested by big countries. Mackinder, a British geopolitical scientist, once compared Eurasia to "the island of the world" and called Central Asia its "heartland". His theory is that whoever can rule the heartland can control the world island; Whoever controls the world island can rule the world. The "Chongqing-Chongqing New Europe" railway has undoubtedly penetrated into the heart of the world.
Justin, secretary-general of the Arms Control and Non-proliferation Center of the American Institute of China Academy of Social Sciences, told the News of the World that the opening of this railway is of the greatest significance in strengthening the rapid exchange of goods, personnel and services between the East and the West in the "heart of the world", which is equivalent to a more reasonable adjustment of the overall resources of the "world island" and will play an inestimable role in the economic integration of Eurasia. At the same time, the "Chongqing-Chongqing New Europe" railway will open up a new road for China's energy supply. As the Central Asian countries through which the railway passes are rich in resource reserves, Wang believes that the "Chongqing-New Europe" railway "can be said to be a new energy channel in China". At present, China's energy import mainly depends on the maritime energy channel through the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea. The situation in the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea is changeable, the interests of all countries are deeply involved, there are a large number of pirates, and the freight risk is quite high. At the same time, the energy transported to the coast of China must be transported to the inland provinces in the west by expensive land transportation. The "Chongqing-Chongqing New Europe" railway will undoubtedly ease the pressure on China's maritime energy.
Wang told the News of the World that Iran had planned to lay an oil and gas pipeline to China before, but the project failed due to pressure from the United States. At present, the Iranian side is considering bypassing Nepal or Pakistan to transport oil to China. "Before the pipeline is successfully laid, the oil imported from Iran can be transported from this railway first." At present, there are two Eurasian continental bridges in the world (that is, convenient transportation channels connecting the maritime transportation lines on both sides of Europe and Asia by railway): one starts from Khabarovsk and Vladivostok in eastern Russia and reaches Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands by trans-Siberian railway; The other one starts from Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China, passes through Kazakhstan, Russia and other countries, and reaches Rotterdam Port in the North Sea of the Netherlands. "Chongqing, Chongqing, New Europe" international freight corridor opens the third Eurasian continental bridge.
Justin's analysis of News of the World pointed out that the "Chongqing-New Europe" railway will continue to speed up in the future, and once it speeds up, "its power will be even greater", which will enable China to re-establish its position as a land trading power. It is generally believed that since China implemented the reform and opening-up policy for 30 years, China has mainly developed economic and trade exchanges with coastal countries, and the contribution of ocean to China's foreign trade has surpassed that of land.
Justin pointed out that under the background of deepening economic and trade cooperation between China and Europe, the "Chongqing-New Europe" railway will narrow the distance and closeness between China and Europe, which means that China's national interests will return to Eurasia. Justin said that both China's demand for external resources and China's national security are strategically related to China's long-term sustainable development. "For China, as a land country, this railway will be a revolutionary means to encircle the ocean with the mainland, and the geopolitical situation will undergo tremendous changes."