Trade between countries in southeast Asia and China’s western districts used to travel a long way by sea until five years ago when a land-sea corridor was opened connecting the two regions.

Officially named the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC), this trade connection was launched in 2017 to function as a logistics passage between western China and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Cargo travelling between China's landlocked western regions and countries such as Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines can now arrive at the destination in less than ten days.

Deng Hongjiu, general manager of Chongqing Hongjiu Fruit Co., told China Daily that his company’s shipments used to be transferred to a port in Thailand first before being shipped to Chinese ports. To reach Chongqing, the goods had to take another trip by land.

"The rail-sea train that runs along the ILSTC corridor saves us time and money," Deng said.

The rail connection played a key role in making the journey more efficient, as it provides around 7000 rail-sea intermodal trains travelling along the corridor to the Municipality of Chongqing.

According to Liu Wei, the director of ILSTC's Coordination Center, the corridor now links together 393 ports in 118 countries and regions. Talking to China Daily, Wei highlighted that last year 78 new freight routes were added.

These include “routes connecting Chongqing, Guizhou and Gansu provinces and the Ningxia Hui autonomous region with Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar,” reports China Daily.

Chongqing is located in south-west of China, with access to the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. Being roughly the size of Austria, Chongqing is considered one of the most populous municipalities in China. It is also home to factories producing consumer goods such as processed food, cars, chemicals, textiles, machinery, sports equipment and electronics.