China's Shaanxi FTZ expands channels of connectivity, deepens Xi'an's participation in BRI
Train No. X9041, a China-Europe freight train, gets ready to leave for Kazakhstan from Xi'an International Port in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
The China (Shaanxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Shaanxi FTZ) has provided a powerful engine for the in-depth participation in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, said Xi'an's deputy mayor Shen Liping on Friday.
The remarks were made on an official news conference addressing the achievements of the Xi'an area of Shaanxi FTZ on its fifth anniversary, reported Chinanews.com.
From the establishment of the FTZ in 2017 to end of January this year, the Xi'an area, including the Xixian New District, has seen 106,546 new market entities, of which 737 are foreign-invested enterprises.
With specific measures to promote high-quality development of Chang'an China-Europe freight train service, Xi'an has significantly reduced logistics costs and increased transportation efficiency. The Chang'an train service now runs 16 international main routes, with key operating indexes such as number of train trips, rate of loaded containers and freight volume among national top.
The Shaanxi FTZ has also been promoting international cooperation in production capacity, said Shen, noting the FTZ is home to projects of Global Fortune 500 companies such as Bosch, BMW and Alstom. At the same time, local enterprises have been setting up distribution network, production bases and logistics parks in countries and regions participating in the BRI as well.