A new international railway express connecting China and Myanmar departed from Southwest China's Chongqing municipality on Monday, marking the opening of a new China-ASEAN trade corridor.

Carrying photovoltaic equipment, the train will leave China through Lincang Port in Yunnan Province and arrive in Mandalay, Myanmar after 15 days.

This railway express is conducive to the connectivity between Chongqing and ASEAN countries, especially between the members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), said Hu Hongbing, deputy director of the Port and Logistics Office of Chongqing Municipal People’s Government.

The newly opened railway express will cut about 20 days off the transportation time from Chongqing to Myanmar, and the logistics cost will thus be reduced by nearly 20 percent, said Zhang Jun, president of South Asia Future Group.

Relying on this new channel, the goods from Chongqing and its surrounding areas can be directly exported to the Indian Ocean through Myanmar, and then enter countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, which will greatly shorten the transportation distance and time, and optimize China’s international logistics mode.

At present, the normal operation of the railway express from Myanmar to Chongqing is being promoted, which will offer a variety of options for goods transportation between China and Southeast Asian countries, said Qi Dan, general manager of Yuxinou (Chongqing) Logistics Co. LTD.