Reporters learned from Chengdu Customs that the foreign trade volume of Sichuan, an influential trade province in central and western China, with over 60 countries along “One Belt and One Road”, amounts to 32.6 billion yuan in the first quarter, accounting for 33.4% of the whole foreign trade. Sichuan, located at the intersection of Land Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road, is accelerating her pace in integrating “One Belt and One Road” strategy by utilizing advantages actively such as expanding platform and ports and so on.

　　According to Mr. Ni Zao, deputy chief of Chengdu Customs, the foreign trade volume of Sichuan with over 60 countries along “One Belt and One Road” reaches 132.08 billion yuan in 2014, a year-on-year growth of 6.8%, accounting for 30.6% of the whole foreign trade volume. The foreign trade volume of Sichuan with 19 European countries is 15.55 billion yuan, up 30.5%. The foreign trade volume of Sichuan with 16 western Asian countries amounts to 27.09 billion yuan, increasing 25.8%. Moreover, the export volume with 6 northeast African countries and 11 southeast Asian countries also witnesses increasing.

　　”Sihcuan only accounts for 1.7% of the national foreign trade volume with countries along ‘One Belt and One Road’, in accordance with the proportion of Sichuan’s foreign trade in China. The scale of Sichuan’s foreign trade is relatively small. There is great potential for development.” Mr. Ni Zao indicated that in recent years Sichuan has achieved remarkable results in opening, especially the basic layout as western China logistics center which is accessible to the whole China and links Europe and Asia together. Sichuan is changing from an inland area relying on coastal ports to import and export goods to an opening bridgehead in Western China.

　　Chengdu Municipal Logistics Development Office announced that Chengdu-Europe Express Rail loaded with beef, frozen meat, liquid milk and other imported food would initiate its returning trial test on April 24th from Europe and arrive in Chengdu in early May.

　　Chengdu-Europe Express Rail, beginning from Chengdu Qinagbaijing Railway Port and ending in Lodz of Poland, is equipped with special advantages such as 3/4 less in freight cost than airplane and 2/3 less in transportation period than shipping. The State Council has approved Chengdu Railway Port officially as finished automobile import port. It is estimated that in the future automobiles produced in Europe could be transported into Sichuan and then distributed to the whole southwestern area through Chengdu-Europe Express Rail, ending the history of importing finished automobiles from eastern coastal ports.

　　Currently Sichuan is building a vertical opening pattern of land, water and air and enhancing the supporting and linking mechanism through the globally accessible platform by Chengdu Customs and the link among aviation, railway, and ports and so on. Meanwhile, the trade relationship of with central and eastern areas is getting closer through the construction of the Yangtze River Golden Water Road and the Yangtze River customs clearance integration reform.
　　
　　Recently, Sichuan has proposed to strengthen the docking with “One Belt and One Road” strategy through 6 major aspects, including constructing modern comprehensive transportation system, building cooperation platform, enhancing trade investment levels and scale, developing special advantageous industries, increasing regional cultural exchanges, and promoting opening restructuring reform and innovation.

　　Sichuan will implement “One Belt One Road 251 Three-Year Plan” in 2015, meaning that Sichuan will select 20 countries where Sichuan possesses larger industrial and trade advantages to expand the markets, and choose 50 major bilateral investment projects from these 20 countries to promote and trade. Sichuan will select 100 companies which have sound trade and investment background among current 10,000 foreign trade enterprises to instruct them as demonstration and promote the going global of machinery, electronics, power equipment, energy conservation and environmental friendly facilities, and rail transportation equipment, and so on.