China Opens Sea-Road-Rail Link to Indian Ocean

Recently, a new sea-road-rail link providing the key commercial hub of Chengdu, in western China, with access to the Indian Ocean via Myanmar was opened.

• The first shipments from Singapore were delivered (through the Andaman Sea and via Myanmar) in Chengdu recently.

The New Trade Corridor: The new trade corridor connects the logistics lines of Singapore, Myanmar and China, and is currently the most convenient land and sea channel linking the Indian Ocean with southwest China.

• This is the first trade corridor to link western China with the Indian Ocean.
• It is considered to be the second Chinese outlet to the Indian Ocean, after the Gwadar port in Pakistan.

Malacca Dilemma: This trade route is China’s solution to the "Malacca Dilemma”, which refers to China’s fear that a maritime blockade at the Straits of Malacca could paralyze China’s economy as most of China’s oil imports pass through it. It also plans to develop the corridor as a part of the BRI.