On 24 December 2017, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), visited Economic and Technological Development Zone and Changchun Xinglong Bonded Zone to learn about the development and building of the zone and its cooperation with ASEAN countries. Mr. Lv Dong, Deputy Director of Management Committee of the Zone, Mr. Zhao Shuang, Director of General Office, Mr. Yan Feng, General Manager of Investment and Construction Company, Ms. Wang Qi from Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Jilin Province and Mr. Zhang Xuehai, Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations Division of ACC, accompanied the visit.

The Economic and Technological Development Zone and Changchun Xinglong Bonded Zone are located in core area of development axis’s northeast direction of Changchun, with the area of 112 square kilometers and over 300,000 resident population. The Zone has a solid industrial foundation, strong capacity and a sound investment environment. The surrounding three-dimensional traffic network is well developed and convenient. The Zone is near the Changchun Longjia international airport and the largest railway freight station in Jilin province. It takes one hour from the Zone to the counties and cities within Changchun, and eight hours to the major cities of northeastern China.

Approved by the State Council of China in 2011, the Chanchun Xinglong Bonded Zone is the only one of its kind in Jilin province, which is built, operated and managed by Changchun Economic and Technological Development Zone. It is the highest level open platform in Changchun even in Jilin province. The planned area of Bonded Zone is 18 square kilometers, and was officially operated in October 2013. Since its inception, more than RMB 10 billion has been invested in the construction of infrastructure and custom supervision facilities, as a result of which the loading and matching services of the Zone have been increasingly improved. The construction of the passage has been rapidly developed, the international freight railway from Changchun to Manchuria to Germany, the freight charter flight from Changchun to Estonia to Moscow and the freight railway from Changchun to Dalian Port have been opened one after another. The business of the Zone has covered more than 190 countries and regions in the world. As the first China-Europe railway, the two-way trial operation of the Changchun-Manchuria-Germany was opened in August 2015. The import and export volume has reached almost 20,000 TEU as of July 2017.The value of goods exceeded EURO646 million. The capacity of goods volume consecutively ranks the first among all 28 China-European railways via the Manchuria border.

Deputy Director Lv Dong stated that the Bonded Zone will actively take part in the building of the Belt and Road, fully promote the joint transport by land, air, railway and sea and the linkage with ports nearby, so as to build the Bonded Zone into an important gateway of the Northeast China to the North. Southeast Asian region is closely linked with China. The economic and trade cooperation between the two sides has been deepened day by day, and there are hug potentials for development. The Bonded Zone wished to cooperate closely with ACC, and develop partnership with the enterprises of ASEAN countries, to attract more enterprises of ASEAN countries to Jilin and the Zone for investment.

Secretary-General Yang Xiuping spoke highly of the achievements of the development and construction of the Zone, and briefed on ACC’s mandate and work. She cited that ACC has been always promoting bilateral trade and investment cooperation as a priority, vigorously supporting and facilitating exchanges and cooperation on the building of Belt and Road between the enterprises of the two sides, and strengthening business connection. Next Year will be the 15th anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership and the ASEAN-China Year of Innovation. She hoped the Zone could seize the opportunity to fully play its advantage to actively expand publicity and promotion in ASEAN countries, so as to play a bigger role in facilitating the cooperation between ASEAN countries and Jilin province and even northeastern China. ACC will provide positive support and assistance.