A Chinese lorry has transported goods under the TIR system from China to Türkiye for the first time ever.
The vehicle, carrying automobile parts, initiated the TIR operation at the Khorgos border crossing and reached the port of Kuryk in Kazakhstan.
At a special ceremony celebrating the journey, the presidents of China and Kazakhstan authorised the truck to board a ferry to cross the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, before continuing by road to Istanbul, Türkiye, via Georgia.
The TIR truck covered a distance of 4,800km in 19 days. Traditional maritime routes between China and Türkiye typically take 30 to 40 days, says IRU, depending on the specific departure and destination points.
This operation was the first TIR transport between the two countries since the China-Türkiye International Road Transport Agreement came into effect, and the first door-to-door transport on this route carried out by a Chinese haulier under TIR.
A significant milestone for Chinese trucking companies aiming for global operations, it will contribute to diversifying China-Europe trade corridors and enhancing the resilience of global supply chains across Eurasia.
Photo: Reise Reise, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons