Land port in Inner Mongolia sees vigorous trade, bustling border crossings

A land port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has seen vigorous trade with other countries and bustling border crossings as China intensifies its efforts in northward opening-up.

Inner Mongolia is an important hub for the China-Europe freight train service. Nearly half of China-Europe freight trains are handled by ports in the autonomous region.

The region's Erenhot port, the largest land port on the China-Mongolia border, is always bustling with trains, vehicles and travelers waiting to be cleared.

Since China uses the standard railway gauge, which is different from the broad railway gauge seen in Russia and Mongolia, the Erenhot port sees numerous containers being reloaded at its freight transit yards every day.

The port has also upgraded its software and hardware facilities to facilitate customs clearance.

"The digital system of the Erenhot railway port was put into operation in 2020, with functions like pre-translation of waybills, information registration and customs clearance. Cargo owners can check the handling progress through the Internet at home. At present, the port has enhanced the customs clearance efficiency for trains by over 70 percent," said Wu Shujun, a staff member at the railway port.

The number of China-Europe freight train trips made at the Erenhot port has increased from only two in 2013 to 3,294 in 2023, and the port is now operating 71 railway lines connecting to over ten other countries in Asia and Europe.

The port bears witness to an especially flourishing trade between China and Mongolia.

On one hand, the building materials and light industrial products shipped from the Erenhot port account more than 70 percent of the Mongolian market, and fresh fruits and vegetables exported from China claim nearly 80 percent of Mongolia's market.

On the other, bulk minerals such as coal and fluorite from Mongolia, as well as cooked beef and mutton, cashmere and horsehide, continue to be favored by Chinese customers.

Every day, a large trading market in Erenhot City is filled with Mongolian merchants who are attracted by quality Chinese products at reasonable prices.

"It is very convenient to purchase goods in Erenhot. The goods have complete varieties, with suitable prices and good quality," said Mongolian merchant Kuran.

"Mongolian merchants mainly purchase chargers, earphones and other products from us. Our daily turnover is around 5,000 yuan (about 688 U.S. dollars)," said Liu Jianjun, owner of an electronics store at the market.

"I come here today. I bought some washing machines and construction equipment. I plan to stay here for three days to study the prices and to see if there are other goods I want to buy," said a Mongolian merchant named Autergenziger.

Since the beginning of this year, a daily average of over 7,000 passenger trips have been made at the Erenhot port, with the maximum daily passenger flow surpassing 10,000 trips.

Land port in Inner Mongolia sees vigorous trade, bustling border crossings

An increasing influx of elderly overseas travelers now choose to spend some of their post-retirement time traveling in China as the country keeps improving its visa policies and tourism services.

With more elderly travelers coming to China from abroad, the country's inbound tourism market has experienced significant growth. In the first seven months of this year, the country received about six million visits from foreign travelers, marking an over-400-percent increase year on year, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China.

Six Dutch tourists recently visited Xi'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province to see the terracotta warriors at the site of Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum.

They are all above the age of 60 and most of them came to China for the very first time. Wilco Poppeliers, one of the travelers, said he has long been expecting this travel and he could only make it after his retirement.

"I think it was very [much] on my bucket list still to visit China. Now I'm retired, I have the time to travel to visit places like this," he said.

For elderly couples from Mongolia, Chinese destinations also maintained strong attraction. Altogether 12 of them have an average age of about 60, with the oldest already 88.

"China is just next to Mongolia. I have visited many places in China like Wutaishan, Zhangjiajie, Hohhot, and Beijing. China has been developing very fast," said one of the tourists.

Along the Lijiang River, famous for its karst landscapes, some 30 overseas tourists recently visited the riverside Moya cliff sculptures and inscription.

The elders said they have been traveling around China before arriving at the cliff site in the southern city of Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

"We have traveled around the country and visited a wide range of cities. The travels were very smooth and convenient," said Marcia Akemi Fujinami, a visitor from Brazil.

The rich cultural heritage is what attracts him to China, said Fabrizio, an Italian tourist, adding that visiting the country has been easier as now there are many flights between Europe and China.

"Traveling to China is nowadays quite simple. There are a lot of flights coming from Europe. China is one of the countries with the largest number of UNESCO heritage places in the world. So we are very happy about visiting this country," he said.

China has been promoting inbound travels by accelerating the resumption of flights and improving tourism services for travelers from abroad. Scenic spots across the country have also been facilitating visits for international tourists while enhancing the quality of their products.

With improved visa policies, customs clearance policies, and more payment options, including cash payment, QR code and bank cards, overseas visitors can now enter and enjoy better services in China.

China sees increasing elderly overseas tourists following improved policies, services