Cargo containers at the port of Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. [Photo/Xinhua]

The significance of the China-Kazakhstan logistics terminal and Lianyungang SCO International Logistics Park has been underlined at a Jiangsu provincial conference convened on May 6 to discuss ways of increased cooperation to implement the national Belt and Road Initiative.

Being the first logistics platform that went into operation following the proposal to build the Silk Road Economic Belt by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Kazakhstan in 2013, the China-Kazakhstan logistics terminal has been running successfully over the past year. Cargo trains carrying medical supplies, daily necessities and electronic products now get to Almaty of Kazakhstan within a week from the logistics terminal.

The terminal has a yearly loading capacity of 410,000 twenty-feet equivalent units (TEU) and mainly runs cross-boundary transshipment and warehouse businesses.

Construction of the Lianyungang SCO International Logistics Park has started after Premier Li Keqiang emphasized during the 12th SCO prime ministers' meeting in November 2013 that China was willing to provide logistics and warehouse services in Lianyungang for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries.

Located at the eastern end of the Eurasian Land Bridge, Lianyungang connects Japan and South Korea over the sea and links with Central and Western Asia through the Longhai (Lanzhou-Lianyungang) Railway. It occupies a pivotal location in the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The New Eurasian Land Bridge is an important economic corridor in the Silk Road Economic Belt and covers nine node cities in China, among which Lianyungang and Xuzhou in Jiangsu are included. In terms of 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the sea ports in Lianyungang, Yancheng and Nantong, as well as the river port in Taicang are listed as the strategic maritime pivots.

To make best possible contribution via its advantageous location during the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, Jiangsu will focus on enhancing regional economic cooperation in areas along the Yangtze River and explore new space in opening to regions eastward and westward, the provincial Party chief Luo Zhijun told the conference.

Jiangsu will also allocate its resources and advantageous geo-economic location to the maximum realization of the Belt and Road Initiative. The conference has concluded that the province will focus on advancing the interconnectivity of infrastructure with Asia-Pacific and Europe regions, promoting trade and investment cooperation as well as deepening cultural exchanges with countries along the Belt and Road.

The Belt and Road Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping in 2013 proposes creation of both a Silk Road Economic Belt, which stretches from China's coastal areas to Central Asia and Europe, and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which runs from the east and south of China to Southeast Asia and Africa.