Mr Mu Huaping, Director of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Industries and Information, said that the Chongqing-Europe rail service, connecting the city with Europe via Xinjiang, will increase from the current weekly service to a daily service in 2012 and twice daily by 2013.

At the moment, the weekly train service carries 40 to 50 TEU from the city, taking 16 days to reach Duisberg, the German city at the confluence of the Rhine and Ruhr rivers.

The service started last June, operated by a consortium of the national railway operators along the route. Customs of all the nations along the route also signed an agreement to facilitate this cross-border service.

International air cargo services are developing fast as well, according to Mr Mu. In 2011, 577 air cargo flights took off from Chongqing, compared with none at all just two years ago. In 2012, more than 10 new routes are planned, connecting Chongqing with cities in the US and Japan.