This aerial photo taken on Nov. 7, 2023 shows a view of goods and vehicles to be exported at the road port of Horgos in Horgos, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.(Xinhua/Li Xin)

At the road port of Horgos in the Horgos City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, driver Guo Rui, managing a roll container loaded with six domestically produced cars, awaited customs clearance.

His destination was a customs post in neighboring Kazakhstan, where he would deliver the cars to his clients.

"Instead of delivering cars one by one, I can transport six cars at once using a roll container, making the process more efficient," said Guo, adding that through measures such as online customs declaration, the customs clearance time has been shortened and transporting vehicles has become more convenient. "Last month, I made about 20 round trips for car deliveries," he said.

Chen Pengde, deputy head of the customs of Horgos, said Horgos has established a "green channel" for roll containers to enhance transportation and boost efficiency. Since the channel was put into trial operation in early October, over 5,000 vehicles loaded on such containers have been exported through Horgos road port.

Horgos, meaning "a place where camels pass" in Mongolian, was once a busy passage used by traders traveling along the ancient Silk Road. As a border pass, it dates back more than 140 years. While it lost its shine after caravans faded into history, the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, has revitalized the old port.

This year, the export of vehicles has gained momentum in Horgos. According to the entry-exit border inspection station of Horgos, as of Nov. 3, the number of vehicles exported through the road port exceeded 100,000 this year, up 177.3 percent year on year.

The volume of railway transport has also seen an increase. In the first 10 months of 2023, over 6,400 China-Europe freight trains passed through the railway port of Horgos, up 9.8 percent year on year, statistics showed.

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 8, 2023 shows a view of the Horgos Railway Port in Horgos, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Buyinbatu Sarna, a staffer in charge of freight at the railway station of Horgos, said this year's workload is busier compared to previous years. "We are optimizing assembly and loading procedures to minimize the duration of train halts at the station, ensuring timely transport," she added.

Yu Huan, deputy general manager of Jinyi Group, an agricultural product wholesaler established in Horgos in 2010, said the optimized customs declaration policies and clearance modes have injected more vitality into trade enterprises like Jinyi Group.

"In the past, it took us at least 20 hours to transport a truckload of fruits and vegetables to Almaty in Kazakhstan. Now, it only takes about six hours, significantly reducing the loss of fruits and vegetables," Yu said.

While promoting the development of local enterprises, the port city has also attracted people from other parts of China to start their own businesses. Gu Haifeng, from east China's Zhejiang Province, is among them.

This year, he founded an automobile company, which can directly deliver cars to customs-bonded warehouses overseas based on the demands of its Central Asian clients. The overseas car orders surged from over 80 units in May to over 1,000 units in October.

"The market is close to the Horgos city, and efficiency is guaranteed in Horgos," said Gu, the company's general manager.

The Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), the first in China's northwestern border regions, officially became operational this month. The FTZ includes three areas, and Horgos is one of them.

Shortly after the launch of the FTZ, the agreement on mutual visa exemption between China and Kazakhstan went into force. Chinese and Kazakh citizens are granted visa-free access to each other's country for no more than 30 days for a single crossing, and are allowed to stay in the other country for a cumulative total of 90 days within 180 days.

"The agreement is expected to further improve personnel and trade exchanges between China and Kazakhstan," said Zeng Qi, a staffer with the Horgos' entry-exit border inspection station.