Lanzhou customs streamlines procedures, introduces automobile-moving trains

Customs in Lanzhou, the capital city of northwest China's Gansu Province, have significantly enhanced cross-border trade efficiency by streamlining customs clearance procedures and introducing the JSQ freight train, a special locomotive model dedicated to the transportation of automobiles.

Unlike traditional container trains, exported vehicles can drive directly into the JSQ carriages without the need for racks. Each carriage can accommodate 10 vehicles, leading to a 50 percent increase in overall transport capacity.

Cross-border train transit efficiency is further boosted by programs that promote faster customs clearance.

"Lanzhou Customs has established a 'green channel,' enabling export goods to be loaded onto trains in just two hours after arrival, significantly shortening the customs clearance time. Since the first JSQ train was launched in October 2024, a total of 41 JSQ trains have been dispatched, transporting 11,407 exported vehicles with a value of 1.239 billion yuan (about 170 million U.S. dollars)," said Wang Hongliang, chief of Jincheng Customs under Lanzhou Customs.

Lanzhou has also strengthened its air freight network by launching international cargo flight routes connecting the city with Moscow, Russia and Almaty, Kazakhstan.

In 2024, the cargo throughput at Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport reached 4,864.5 tons, with the total value of imports and exports amounting to 1.4 billion yuan (about 190 million U.S. dollars), marking year-on-year increases of 100 percent and 69 percent respectively.

Lanzhou customs streamlines procedures, introduces automobile-moving trains

A Long March-3B rocket successfully sent test satellite Shijian-25 into space Tuesday morning, marking China's first rocket launch in 2025.

The Long March-3B is China's first carrier rocket series to complete 100 launches, having served the construction of China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and China's lunar exploration program.

Mainly used to launch high-orbit spacecraft and satellites, the Long March-3B rockets will serve more than 10 major space missions this year, including asteroid exploration.

The Long March-3B rocket carrying the Shijian-25 test satellite blasted off at 04:00 Beijing Time from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, bringing the payload into the preset orbit later.

The satellite is primarily used for the verification of satellite fuel replenishment and life extension service technologies, according to the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, the Shijian-25's developer.

The launch marked the 555th mission of the Long March series carrier rockets.

"The Tuesday launch is the first mission of China's Long March series carrier rockets in 2025. The relevant teams dedicated to this rocket model have taken more than 40 strict measures to make full-scale preparations and ensure a complete success of the launch mission," said Qin Yi, an official of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

Long March-3B rocket mission marks first launch of new year