I. The Canton Fair: A Global Trade Platform for the New Era
The 137th Canton Fair opened on April 15 in Guangzhou under the theme of "Advanced Manufacturing," "Quality Home Living," and "Better Life," attracting 31,000 exhibitors and 64,500 overseas buyers—a historic high. As China's foreign trade "barometer," this year's fair saw the number of export exhibitors exceed 30,000 for the first time, focusing on products in high demand along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) routes, such as new energy vehicles and smart equipment. Notably, the fair introduced a green and low-carbon themed exhibition area, promoting the integration of cross-border e-commerce with traditional trade—a strategic move to support the cargo distribution of the China-Europe Railway Express "Pilot" .
II. The "Pilot" Express: Pioneering the Trans-Caspian Route
During the Canton Fair, the China-Europe Railway Express "Pilot" signed landmark agreements with the Caucasus region, marking the full operational launch of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TIR). Originating from Nansha Port in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and leveraging nine domestic hubs (including Guangzhou Dalang and Shenzhen Pinghunan), the route exits China via the Khorgos Port, crosses the Caspian Sea to Baku Port in Azerbaijan, and extends to Turkey and Europe through the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway .
The Trans-Caspian corridor offers dual advantages in efficiency and security:
1. Time-Saving Innovation: Through rail-sea intermodal transport, transit time from China to Europe is reduced to 18–21 days—one-third faster than traditional sea routes and 4–6 days quicker than Russia-based China-Europe routes.
2. Geopolitical Resilience: Amid ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflicts and Red Sea disruptions, this politically stable corridor avoids high-risk areas, serving as a "stabilizer" for China-Europe trade.
3. Multimodal Integration: Azerbaijan's Baku Port, upgraded to handle 27 million tons annually, enables seamless rail-sea transfers, while Georgia's Anaklia Deep-Sea Port enhances regional connectivity .
III. The Caucasus: A Strategic Nexus of the BRI
The Caucasus region (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia) acts as the core hub of the Trans-Caspian corridor due to its unique geography:
1. Infrastructure Upgrades: The BTK railway, expanded to 17 million tons annual capacity, connects Baku to Kars (Turkey) and onward to European rail networks.
2. Economic Growth Engine: The Asian Development Bank projects a 4.9% GDP growth for the Caucasus in 2024, driven by Azerbaijan's energy exports and Georgia's tourism recovery.
3. Policy Synergy: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey signed a TITR development roadmap to harmonize customs standards and streamline border procedures, boosting freight volume from 1.318 million tons in 2017 to 2.764 million tons in 2023 .
IV. Reshaping Eurasian Trade: The Trans-Caspian Corridor's Impact
1. Regional Economic Integration: The corridor directly links Central Asian resources (e.g., Kazakhstan's minerals, Uzbekistan's cotton) to European markets via Baku Port, while facilitating the import of European high-end manufacturing products into Central Asia.
2. Supply Chain Resilience: The Shijiazhuang International Dry Port, collaborating with Tianjin Port, operates "door-to-door" sea-rail intermodal services to Southern Europe (e.g., Italy, Romania), reducing reliance on traditional maritime hubs.
3. Green Transition Model: The "Pilot" Express employs new energy locomotives and digital scheduling, cutting carbon emissions by 40% compared to sea transport—aligning with BRI's sustainability goals .
V. Future Outlook: Building a Eurasian Community of Shared Future
The Trans-Caspian corridor faces dual opportunities:
- Short-Term Momentum: In the first half of 2024, TITR China-Europe freight volumes surged tenfold year-on-year, with annual projections exceeding 3 million tons.
- Long-Term Vision: As BRI deepens its integration with TITR, Central Asia and the Caucasus will emerge as critical nodes, fostering a "dual-circulation" development pattern across Eurasia .
Conclusion
The Canton Fair's inauguration and the "Pilot" Express' breakthroughs signal a new phase for the BRI—one characterized by land-sea connectivity and East-West complementarity. By anchoring the Caucasus, the Trans-Caspian corridor not only diversifies China-Europe trade routes but also reshapes Eurasian economic geography through multimodal innovation, policy coordination, and green transformation. This strategic is both a pragmatic response to geopolitical shifts and a vivid of building a human community with a shared future.