A Mekong River port in southwest China’s Yunnan province was officially opened on Monday. It will serve as a gateway to boost trade between China and ASEAN countries, especially Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
Guan Lei Port is located on the river in Mengla district of Yunnan. It is the first port of entry into inner China for vessels from the Mekong riparian countries.
A Chinese customs official said that the port, which also houses a spacious market, is equipped with state-of-the art systems, which can reduce the time customs procedures take to just half an hour.
A representative of a Chinese trading company said that traders can use their smartphones to undertake customs processes, which will do away with a lot of the red tape.
Construction of the 59-million baht market began in 2019 and was recently approved by provincial authorities. Most products available at the market are grains, fresh vegetables, preserved fruit, fresh fruit and Chinese-made consumer products.
Traders interested in buying goods at the market can order them over a simple phone call.
The port itself can handle 500-600 tonnes of goods per day.
