Nqobile Bhebhe in CHONGQING, China
A Zimbabwean media delegation toured the China Inland International Logistics Hub Exhibition Centre in Chongqing in China on Friday morning, gaining first-hand insight into the infrastructure that transformed this mountainous city into a global trade gateway.
The visit formed a critical part of ongoing media engagement aimed at deepening ties between Zimbabwe and one of China’s most ambitious logistical success stories.
A representative of the centre guided the delegation through the facility, explaining how China turned a city far from the sea into a busy trade gateway.
The journalists watched automated systems at work and learned about a digital customs system called the “Single Electronic Window.
The Exhibition Centre, a critical barometer of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, recorded remarkable milestones.
For landlocked Zimbabwe, the Chongqing model offers a practical roadmap.
For instance, digital integration – linking ZIMRA and border posts into a unified corridor with Beira and Durban is critical.
Also rail rehabilitation prioritising the National Railways of Zimbabwe to connect mining hubs such Hwange, Mvuma to Mozambique’s ports and stablishing a local logistics training platform, potentially with Chinese partners.
Jounalists heard that Chongqing was long defined by its rugged, mountainous terrain and isolation from the sea, which made traditional trade and logistics extremely difficult.
For centuries, these natural barriers limited economic growth.
However, massive infrastructure investmen including rail and digital systems has since transformed the city into a global inland trade powerhouse.