Dalian's Extraordinary Decade: Coordinating 'Three Center' DevelopmentDalian Goes Global from Northeast Asia

In April 2020, Dalian Trans Eurasia International Logistics Co., Ltd. was registered and established in Dalian. Its parent company in Beijing had been cooperating with Port of Dalian on cross-border trains for five years before establishing it. "We have fond memories of China Railway Express," General Manager Li Yang said. Their company was there for the construction and development of the Dalian section of the China Railway Express. "We know all about the geographical advantages of the Dalian Northeast Asia International Shipping Center and the Dalian International Logistics Center. Thus, we have worked earnestly with the Port of Dalian to contribute to China Railway Express’s development," Li noted. It is to this end that the Dalian branch has been established, expressing our expectations for the development of China Railway Express.

China Railway Express starts from Dayaowan port in Dalian

In the first nine months of 2022, the Dalian section of China Railway Express has operated well even in the face of difficulties. According to statistics released by Dalian JIYI Logistics Co., Ltd., the platform operator, China Railway Express shipment volumes for the first nine months of 2022 reached 11,000 TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 51 percent. The prosperity of China Railway Express reflects the coordinated development of the pilot areas for structural optimization and economic and social development and the growth of the Dalian Northeast Asia International Shipping Center, the Dalian International Logistics Center, and regional financial centers in the past decade.

In the past ten years, Dalian has striven to optimize and combine the key components of development and continuously improve modern shipping and logistics capacities. A new pattern of high-quality development has been formed with the growth of the Dalian Northeast Asia International Shipping Center and the International Logistics Center.

With ten years of effort, Dalian Northeast Asia International Shipping Center operations have been streamlined. The operating pattern in place has the Port of Dalian and its airports at the core, the multimodal integrated transport hub as the channel for interconnectivity, and major port and shipping logistics parks as support. More than 96 percent of foreign trade containers, 100 percent of commercial vehicles, and the delivery of over 60 percent of imported crude oil in Northeast China are transported or carried out by the Port of Dalian. Thus, the port has made Dalian an essential hub in the national integrated three-dimensional transportation network.

During the same period, the Dalian Northeast Asia International Shipping Center expanded to cover more regions. An inland transport network for container collecting and distributing, based on inland ports, terminal stations, and stations cooperating with the shipping center was established. The container throughput of sea-rail intermodal transport in Dalian has been at the top of the list for over ten years. Domestic and international cargo depots of airports in Dalian cover an area of 113,000 sqm and the air transport network formed by the cargo depots can provide services for China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and countries in Southeast Asia.

In the past ten years, ports in Dalian have become more open. As of now, Dalian has five official opening-up ports, namely the Port of Dalian, Port of Lyushun, Port of Changxing Island, Port of Zhuanghe, and Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport. Meanwhile, the qualification of designated ports for the entry of goods under special supervision, such as bonded aviation oil, grain, plant seedlings, meat, fruits, chilled aquatic products, edible aquatic animals, and timber, has helped Dalian contribute to the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, accelerate the development of Dalian Northeast Asia International Shipping Center, and has also strongly supported Dalian to build it into a high-quality opening-up hub.

Thanks to years of effort, Dalian has become an important financial center in Northeast China, and it now strives to be a vital international financial center for Northeast Asia.

In the past ten years, the financial industry has served as an important pillar in Dalian. The total assets of the financial industry reached CNY 2.9 trillion. The proportion of added value in local GDP increased from 6 percent in 2012 to 9 percent and managed to maintain growth above this level. The structure of financial institutions became more diversified. AEON Insurance Asset Management, the only insurance and asset management company in Northeast China was established in Dalian, and 300 various licensed financial institutions cover different types of businesses in local areas. The Dalian regional financial center, with the futures industry as a leading force, has played an increasingly important role. The Dalian Commodity Exchange has entered a high-quality development stage as future goods and prompt goods are combined in the operation, trading on an exchange and trading over the counter are coordinated and domestic and international markets are connected. The development of a multi-level capital market is continuously promoted. Dalian now offers the services of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and the Beijing Stock Exchange on the market. The efficiency of financial services offered to the real economy has also improved over the past ten years. The average annual growth rate for deposits and loans is 6.4 percent and 5.1 percent respectively, which generally matches the gross regional product growth rate and facilitates the steady development of the real economy.