A caravan of trucks loaded with goods left Beijing on Tuesday
bound for Brussels in a pilot project that aims to revive overland
trading routes from China to Europe.
The expedition is part of the nation's efforts to promote
barrier-free transport on the "Euro-Asian trans-continental land
bridge," between China and Europe and rekindle the spirit of the
ancient Silk Road.
Expected to reach its final destination on October 17, the
Beijing-Brussels Caravan will pass through Astana, Moscow, Riga,
Vilnius, Warsaw and Berlin.
"The aim of the project is to demonstrate that the barrier-free
intercontinental transport of goods by road is workable," Yao
Mingde, president of the Chinese Road Transport Association,
said.
The project was initiated by the International Road Transport
Union (IRU), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and
the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific as part of the ongoing Euro-Asian Road Transport
Conference, which opened in Beijing on Monday.
As a consequence of globalization, road transport links do not
stop at frontiers of continents, Martin Marmy, IRU's
secretary-general, told the conference.
"Road transport services should complete and in certain cases
replace the dominant mode of sea transport in intercontinental
traffic," Marmy said.
Robust trade growth between China and Europe has increased
demand for road transport, but barriers still exist.
Preconditions for achieving trans-continental road transport
include sound infrastructure, a legal framework that can be
accepted by all concerned and a detailed implementation procedure,
said Ju Chengzhi, a senior official from the Ministry of
Communications.
(China Daily September 28, 2005)