At a glance
- More than 3,700 TIR-registered vehicles operate from China towards Central and Eastern Europe
- They use more than 120 routes
- The network involves over 60 border crossings
- China–Central and Eastern Europe trade reached $161.5 billion in 2025
- Trade grew by a further 11% in the first half of 2026
The vehicles cross more than 60 borders via Central Asia, the Caucasus and Türkiye, the IRU said following a logistics conference in Beijing on 22 September. The event brought together more than 200 representatives of governments, international organisations and major transport companies.
Road freight network expands beyond traditional cargo
The TIR system allows goods to move through several countries under a single international customs guarantee, reducing the need for separate customs procedures at each border. Its scope in China was widened earlier this year to include e-commerce and bonded cargo, potentially opening international road transport to additional types of shipments.
According to the IRU, the expansion is already creating new alternatives for shippers. It cited bonded TIR transport between China and Azerbaijan as an example, saying such a journey can now be completed in around 15 days — approximately half the time of the equivalent journey by sea.
China has also introduced priority “green lanes” for TIR vehicles at key border crossings, while 11 sites across the country provide combined services for international logistics operators.
Customs differences remain a barrier
Despite the expanding network, the IRU says further growth will depend on countries making their border and customs procedures more consistent.
“Cross-border transport is, by nature, a tangle of many rules, systems and ways of doing things,” IRU Secretary General Habib Turki told the Beijing conference. “The challenge for transport corridors is to harmonise those rules and processes.”
The organisation also highlighted the role of road transport as an alternative when established trade corridorsare disrupted. Unlike fixed rail or maritime services, trucks can potentially be rerouted in response to geopolitical disruption, natural disasters or other problems affecting a particular corridor.
The so-called Middle Corridor, connecting China and Europe through Central Asia, the Caspian region, the Caucasus and Türkiye, is among the routes being developed as an alternative connection between the two markets.
The growth comes against a backdrop of expanding trade between China and Central and Eastern Europe. According to figures cited by the IRU, trade reached $161.5 billion in 2025 after ten consecutive years of growth, before increasing by another 11% during the first half of 2026.
