The port of Caofeidian in northern China’s Hebei province has launched a new dedicated rail freight link to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. The first train is set to deliver 51 containers of electrical appliances, furniture and raw materials to Mongolia via the border crossing at Erenhot.

The president of the Caofeidian Port Corporation, Wang Kesheng, said Tangshan, a major steel producing city, would be able to deliver steel products to Mongolia and even to European countries via the new link.

Landlocked Mongolia, sandwiched between China and Russia, has sought to gain greater access to the railway networks of its giant neighbours as it bids to deliver commodities like coal or copper to other markets, including Japan and South Korea. It has already reached a similar rail freight agreement with the northern Chinese port of Tianjin.

Caofeidian Port, a unit of Tangshan Port, said the new link would allow it to become an important international hub in northeast Asia and take advantage of the “Belt and Road” initiative aimed at boosting economic cooperation between China and central Asia. Source: Reuters