This aerial photo taken on Dec. 27, 2023 shows a bullet train waiting for departure at Dongxingshi Railway Station in Dongxing, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.(China Railway Nanning Bureau Group Co., Ltd./Handout via Xinhua)
NANNING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Su Haibing, a resident of the Jing ethnic group in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, dressed in the traditional ethnic costume and embarked on a thrilling trip on Wednesday morning as one of the first passengers aboard the newly-launched Fangchenggang-Dongxing high-speed railway.
"From now on, I can take the train instead of driving my car to pick up my child," he said, while using his cellphone to record the views through the window.
Dongxing, a city on the China-Vietnam border, has been linked to China's national railway network thanks to the opening of the new rail line.
Stretching 47 km long with a designed speed of 200 km per hour, the new railway is a dual-purpose line that handles both passenger and freight transportation, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.
The new railway, which began construction in March 2019, will reduce the travel time between the two cities to 19 minutes. It can also further connect Dongxing with other major cities in Guangxi, including the regional capital Nanning, within a three-hour trip.
The rail route runs through areas with an annual precipitation totaling more than 2,000 mm, which made its construction technically complicated. It also encompasses a 7.5-km cross-sea high-speed railway bridge, the first of its kind in Guangxi.
"We've overcome multiple unfavorable factors, such as deep-water tides, sea-surface winds and complex seabed geology. With the significant expertise we've gathered, we'll be able to build the same type of cross-sea railway bridge under unusual conditions," said Wang Bo, head of the bridge's construction team.
"The operation of the railway has further fine-tuned the rail network structure of the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, which is conducive to promoting tourism in border areas, improving the interconnectivity level of transportation infrastructure between China and ASEAN countries, and strengthening the economic cooperation and trade exchanges of both sides," said Luo Zhen, deputy mayor of Fangchenggang.
Dongxing is China's only port city connected both by land and sea with ASEAN. Customs data shows that in the first 11 months of this year, the total freight volume via Dongxing Port was 823,900 tonnes, with a value of 64.8 billion yuan (about 9 billion U.S. dollars), both exceeding the figures for the whole of 2022.
Texhong International Group Ltd. is a major cotton textile supplier headquartered in Shanghai. The company has several production bases in Vietnam, and imports nearly 10,000 tonnes of fabric products via Dongxing every month.
"The new rail line allows us to import goods from Vietnam more conveniently as some of our clients have high demand for timely delivery," noted Chen Yingjian, a manager at the company.
Vietnam has been Guangxi's largest trading partner since 1999. In recent years, Guangxi and Vietnam have deepened economic, trade and investment cooperation in sectors including clothing and electronic information.
In the first 11 months of this year, the imports and exports between Guangxi and Vietnam totaled 222.97 billion yuan, up by 31 percent year on year, the highest growth rate since 2016, according to the customs of Nanning.
The railway will bring more quality products from ASEAN to Chinese consumers, deepen Sino-Vietnam trade cooperation and bring tangible benefits to the people of both countries, according to Cheng Chaoying, an official with the Nanning customs.
Web editor: Wang Xiaoxuan
Reviewer1: Zhang Yanlan
Reviewer 2: Pang Bo
Reviewer3:Tang Caihong
English Reviewer: Shen Fei