TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, October 2. The International Road Transport Union (IRU) has inaugurated new cargo transportation between Uzbekistan and China, traveling through Kazakhstan, Trend reports.
The first heavy trucks left from Uzbekistan’s Samarkand to deliver black currants to the Chinese city of Qingdao. As per data from IRU, the new cargo route will allow for a fast, economical, and safe solution for cargo transportation. The newly launched route is said to deliver goods in a 10-day period, while rail transportation usually takes up to three months.
"We highly appreciate the partnership with the Qingdao Customs Service and local transport authorities, which helped us open a new IRU route connecting Samarkand and Qingdao. The new route makes it possible to transport goods from door to door faster, more economically, and safer than by rail and air," Chief Representative of IRU in East and Southeast Asia Yan Zhou said.
Qingdao has a strategically important position at the beginning of the maritime Silk Road, linking the land routes of the One Belt and One Road initiative with key seaports and airports.
Meanwhile, a round table discussion took place recently with the participation of representatives of the International Road Transport Union, Uzbek transport companies, development organizations, and financial institutions. The participants discussed cooperation with China in international trade and transit transport.
Moreover, Uzbek and Chinese representatives discussed pressing problems of transport and transit as well as explored new opportunities emerging in the region at a regional conference held in Uzbekistan’s Tashkent.
