In the golden autumn of 2013, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech in Kazakhstan, proposing for the first time the joint building of the "Silk Road Economic Belt," thus beginning the grand scroll of the Silk Road in the new era.

　　As the first physical project of the Belt and Road Initiative to be implemented in China, the China-Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base was officially opened in May 2014 in the presence of the heads of state of the two countries. After 10 years of operation, the China-Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base has become an international economic platform for transit transport, warehousing and logistics, and trade exchanges among the five Central Asian countries, effectively promoting connectivity between China and Central Asian countries.

The China-Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base (photographed on June 26, 2024, aerial photo).

On May 10, 2023, staff from China and Kazakhstan exchange views at the China-Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base.

　　On the electronic screen of the base's digital dispatch center, the destinations, cargo origins, and cargo information of the China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains departing from and arriving at Lianyungang are clearly visible, and the real-time footage of cargo transport in the China-Kazakhstan border area is dynamically updated.

On May 9, 2023, staff at the digital dispatch center of the China-Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base check real-time operation data.

　　More than ten kilometers from the China-Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base, vehicles flow ceaselessly through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Lianyungang) International Logistics Park, where industries such as modern logistics, new materials, and new energy are developing steadily.

The container yard in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Lianyungang) International Logistics Park (photographed on June 26, 2024, aerial photo).

On June 26, 2024, a container handler transports containers in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Lianyungang) International Logistics Park (aerial photo).

　　Relying on logistics cooperation, Lianyungang provides a convenient sea outlet for products from the Central Asian region. On China-Europe freight trains, "Made in China" products such as mechanical and electrical equipment, electronic products, and daily necessities pass through Kazakhstan and are transferred to markets in Central Asia and Europe, while raw materials and products produced in Kazakhstan, such as ferroalloys and fertilizers, are transported to the China-Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base, from where they set sail and enter the vast Pacific Ocean.

A cargo ship berths at the container terminal of Lianyungang Port (photographed on June 26, 2024, aerial photo).

On June 26, 2024, at the China-Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base, the "Korea-Lianyungang-Central Asia" international multimodal transport train waits to depart (aerial photo).

On July 26, 2023, at the Horgos Comprehensive Bonded Zone in Xinjiang, domestically produced commercial vehicles wait for customs declaration and exit (aerial photo). More and more domestically produced commercial vehicles are exiting through the Horgos port and being sold to countries along the Belt and Road such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

On May 19, 2022, gantry cranes are operating in the "Horgos-Eastern Gate" dry port in the China-Kazakhstan border region in southern Kazakhstan. Xinhua News Agency release (photo by Ospanov)

On May 12, 2023, near Almaty, Kazakhstan, a freight train runs between Almaty and Horgos (aerial photo). Xinhua News Agency release (photo by Ospanov)

　　Going west and east, unimpeded trade has brought more tangible benefits to the people of China and Central Asia. In 2023, China became Kazakhstan's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volume reaching 41 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 32%.

On January 13, 2023, consumers select Kazakh flour products at the Aiju Healthy Life Experience Hall in the Xi'an International Trade and Logistics Park in Shaanxi.

On November 6, 2019, at the Kazakhstan National Pavilion at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, a bartender shares cocktails with visitors.

On July 1, 2024, a customer tries out a Chinese-brand mobile phone in Astana, Kazakhstan. Xinhua News Agency release (photo by Ospanov)

On June 24, 2024, customers learn about Chinese-brand cars in Astana, Kazakhstan. Xinhua News Agency release (photo by Ospanov)

　　Linking mountains and seas, a two-way journey. The "steel camel caravans" shuttle back and forth between Lianyungang and the Central Asian region, injecting a steady stream of momentum into East-West integration and unimpeded trade.