On Monday, two refrigerated trucks marked with TIR signs departed from an international road transport assembly center in Shenyang, the capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province, carrying 20 tonnes of locally-produced ice cream. The shipment will exit China via the Bakti port in Xinjiang, pass through Kazakhstan, and is expected to arrive in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, within 8 to 10 days.
This journey marks the launch of the first TIR cross-border road transport route from Shenyang connecting China, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. It is also a major expansion of the center’s current China-Russia transport network.
TIR, short for Transports Internationaux Routiers (International Road Transport), is an international customs transit system designed to save time and reduce costs for cross-border trade. China joined the TIR system in 2016. According to Han Qingfeng, general manager of the shipping company, this direct route from Shenyang to Tashkent allows for seamless delivery without the need for transshipment, and monthly shipments are planned.
Since being certified by the International Road Transport Union in late 2024, the Shenyang assembly center has handled 50 TIR shipments worth over 30 million yuan (approximately 4.16 million U.S. dollars), exporting machinery, auto parts, office supplies, and food products.