Azerbaijan and China are exploring expanded cooperation to increase the number of container block trains traversing the Middle Corridor, a vital East-West freight route linking China with Europe via Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
The initiative was discussed at the Transport Logistic 2025 exhibition currently underway in Munich, where Azerbaijan Railways (AZD), a subsidiary of AZCON Holding, is actively participating.
AZD Chairman Rovshan Rustamov held key meetings with transport industry leaders, including Yang Bin, President of China Railway Container Transport Corporation (CRCT), to review ways to deepen bilateral rail logistics cooperation. Discussions centered on agreements reached during President Ilham Aliyev’s April visit to China, which emphasized support for the Belt and Road Initiative and promoted multimodal international transport through Azerbaijan.
Among the focal points was the integration of CRCT into Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd., a trilateral venture by railway authorities of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, aimed at streamlining cargo flow along the corridor. Officials also reviewed plans for a digital tracking platform that would monitor cargo moving westward from China to the Black Sea, enhancing visibility and efficiency across the route.
Rustamov also met with Wangsu Dong, Executive Director of Beijing Trans Eurasia International Logistics, to examine proposals for scaling up round-trip block train shipments between China and Europe. Discussions highlighted the importance of increasing freight volumes and improving transit times on the corridor in the near term.
Further engagements at the exhibition involved strategic talks with European port operators and logistics firms, including Burgas Port (Bulgaria) CEO Boris Balev, and HHLA International GmbH, the German logistics group operating at Hamburg Port. These meetings focused on enhancing regional port interconnectivity and strengthening the Middle Corridor’s position as a viable alternative to northern and southern transport routes.
Additional sessions with leaders from Germany’s Rhenus Group and Austria’s ÖBB Rail Cargo Group, a subsidiary of Austrian Railways, explored potential joint initiatives to optimize freight flow across Azerbaijan as part of the larger China–Europe–China trade link.
Throughout the event, Azerbaijani officials emphasized the country's growing role as a key transit hub in East–West trade, citing the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway and other infrastructure investments as central to boosting the corridor’s reliability and appeal to global shippers.
The meetings in Munich reflect sustained momentum in developing the Middle Corridor as a competitive and geopolitically stable alternative for Eurasian freight transit, amid ongoing disruptions affecting other major trade routes.
Japan is preparing a strategic offer to the United States centered on rare earth elements and liquefied natural gas, aiming to secure relief from steep U.S. tariffs amid growing trade frictions with China.
An escalating feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump threatens to disrupt key U.S. space programs and jeopardize $22 billion in government contracts with SpaceX.
Scientists have identified a long-lost group of hunter-gatherers who vanished from Colombia’s highlands 2,000 years ago, reshaping our understanding of ancient human migrations in South America.
The NGO Ocean Cleanup, in collaboration with the Guatemalan government and local communities, has installed the largest trash barrier to date on the Motagua River. This major effort aims to capture and remove vast amounts of garbage before it reaches the sea.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has extended warm wishes to Muslims around the world celebrating Eid al-Adha, calling for unity, compassion, and solidarity in a time marked by global conflict and division.
Japan is preparing a strategic offer to the United States centered on rare earth elements and liquefied natural gas, aiming to secure relief from steep U.S. tariffs amid growing trade frictions with China.
An escalating feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump threatens to disrupt key U.S. space programs and jeopardize $22 billion in government contracts with SpaceX.
Scientists have identified a long-lost group of hunter-gatherers who vanished from Colombia’s highlands 2,000 years ago, reshaping our understanding of ancient human migrations in South America.
The NGO Ocean Cleanup, in collaboration with the Guatemalan government and local communities, has installed the largest trash barrier to date on the Motagua River. This major effort aims to capture and remove vast amounts of garbage before it reaches the sea.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has extended warm wishes to Muslims around the world celebrating Eid al-Adha, calling for unity, compassion, and solidarity in a time marked by global conflict and division.
As peace talks progress, voices from Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Baku reveal hopes, concerns, and expectations for a future shaped by trade, trust, and generational change in the South Caucasus.
A bridge collapse in the Vygonichsky district of Russia’s Bryansk region, near the Ukrainian border, caused a train derailment and a traffic accident early Sunday, killing at least seven people and leaving 30 injured, according to emergency services.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has confirmed it carried out a third targeted attack against the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, early Tuesday morning, marking a new escalation in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture early Monday, causing no reported injuries or damage, and no tsunami warning was issued, officials confirmed.
Federal authorities have arrested 14 suspects in Los Angeles linked to an Armenian organized crime ring accused of stealing $30 million in COVID relief and Small Business loans intended to support American taxpayers.
Armenia's unchecked mining pollution poses a severe environmental crisis, imperilling water resources and health across the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan. Heavy metal contamination in shared rivers threatens ecosystems and human well-being, demanding urgent international action.
China approved 11.29 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity in the first quarter of 2025, surpassing the 10.34 GW approved in the entire first half of 2024, according to a new report released by Greenpeace on Thursday.
Chinese authorities have warned of increased flood risks across northern China during the summer months, predicting more frequent and intense storms between June and August.
China’s central bank has announced a new set of measures to strengthen financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), aiming to help them navigate external uncertainties and maintain stable operations, according to a senior official at the People’s Bank of China (PBOC).
China’s services activity expanded at a modestly faster pace in May, driven by stronger domestic demand, though new export orders declined amid growing concerns over U.S. tariffs, according to a private sector survey released on Thursday.
Japan is preparing a strategic offer to the United States centered on rare earth elements and liquefied natural gas, aiming to secure relief from steep U.S. tariffs amid growing trade frictions with China.
An escalating feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump threatens to disrupt key U.S. space programs and jeopardize $22 billion in government contracts with SpaceX.
Scientists have identified a long-lost group of hunter-gatherers who vanished from Colombia’s highlands 2,000 years ago, reshaping our understanding of ancient human migrations in South America.
The NGO Ocean Cleanup, in collaboration with the Guatemalan government and local communities, has installed the largest trash barrier to date on the Motagua River. This major effort aims to capture and remove vast amounts of garbage before it reaches the sea.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has extended warm wishes to Muslims around the world celebrating Eid al-Adha, calling for unity, compassion, and solidarity in a time marked by global conflict and division.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment