Another Foreign Trade Corridor Added! Resilience of Shandong"s Opening-Up Pattern Further Enhanced

Recently, Shandong opened its first international road transport corridor directly to Georgia. On the opening day, two TIR vehicles loaded with clothing set off from Qingdao, Shandong. They exited through Khorgos Port, crossed Kazakhstan, traversed the Caspian Sea, passed through Azerbaijan and arrived in Georgia. The entire journey is expected to take 18 days.

This TIR international road transport route from the SCO Demonstration Zone to Georgia is the 7th TIR route opened by the SCO Demonstration Zone, further enhancing the multi-corridor resilience of Shandong's opening-up pattern.

Image source: SCO Demonstration Area

What is TIR?

TIR is a cross-border freight customs transit system established under the UN Convention on International Transport of Goods. Its core advantage lies in “one declaration, one guarantee and one vehicle direct to destination.”

Vehicles holding a TIR certificate can complete customs procedures at the place of departure and destination, and do not need to undergo repeated unpacking and inspection in transit countries, thereby significantly shortening cross-border transit time. Taking the Georgia route as an example, traditional sea freight takes 30 to 45 days, while TIR can cut the time to about 18 days.

Against the backdrop of fluctuating sea freight prices and rising geopolitical uncertainty, TIR provides an alternative option with controllable capacity, fewer nodes and faster turnover. It is particularly suitable for fresh agricultural products, high-value small parcels and the shipment rhythm of cross-border e-commerce, which features multiple batches and small-to-medium volumes.

What does the 7th route bring?

This route was added because China-Georgia economic and trade relations are heating up.

The China-Georgia Free Trade Agreement was the first free trade agreement China launched and concluded after the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed. In 2025, bilateral trade between China and Georgia reached USD 2.699 billion, up about 175% from 2017 before the agreement took effect. Rising trade volumes require matching logistics capacity.

The opening of the TIR route essentially fills the physical corridor gap after the institutional framework has already “paved the way.” On the one hand, it brings China-Georgia economic and trade exchanges closer; on the other hand, it adds a route option for Shandong goods to enter the Caucasus region and further extend to Türkiye and Europe without relying on a single maritime chokepoint.

Image source: SCO Demonstration Area

According to statistics, in 2025, the SCO Demonstration Zone continued to rank first nationwide in TIR shipment volume. In the first three quarters of 2026, the SCO Demonstration Zone dispatched 277 TIR vehicle trips, with total cargo value of RMB 240 million. At the same time, the SCO Demonstration Zone regularly operates 22 international freight train routes, reaching 23 countries and 54 cities of the SCO and Belt and Road partner countries.

As the SCO Demonstration Zone's international transport network becomes denser, Shandong is accelerating its transformation into a hub-oriented international logistics distribution center.

Shandong's diversified foreign trade corridors

In 2025, Shandong's total foreign trade imports and exports reached RMB 3.53 trillion, up 4.5% year on year. It accounted for 7.8% of the national total and contributed 9.1% to national foreign trade growth. Its import and export scale ranked fifth nationwide.

Of this, trade with Belt and Road partner countries totaled RMB 2.26 trillion, up 7.6%, accounting for 64.1% of the province's total imports and exports, making it the foundation of Shandong's foreign trade.

Shandong's huge import and export structure means it cannot entrust the security of its foreign trade corridors to only a few main routes. Therefore, the addition of this route is in fact a pragmatic adjustment in international logistics strategy by a major export-oriented economy. Through multiple corridors, multiple modes and multi-layered institutional arrangements, it reduces the transmission risk of fluctuations in a single link to the overall opening-up pattern and adds more elasticity to the foundation of opening-up.

At present, Shandong has formed a transport system centered on ports, using rail freight trains for land access across Eurasia, sea-rail intermodal transport to extend port hinterlands deep into the entire Yellow River basin, and TIR and air cargo to enhance flexibility and timeliness. In 2025, Shandong Port Group's cargo throughput exceeded 1.9 billion tonnes and its container volume exceeded 47 million TEUs, ranking first and second globally, respectively. Its number of foreign trade routes remained first among northern Chinese ports.