China opens new port on Yangtze River

CHONGQING - A 10,000-metric-ton port, first of its kind in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River -- China's longest waterway-- began operations Wednesday.

Located in Zhongxian county, Chongqing municipality, the port has 14 berths with an annual throughput of 25 million tons.

The upper reaches of the Yangtze River cover Chongqing and the provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan. It is an important area along the Belt and Road, as well as the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

"As the first 10,000-metric-ton port in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, it will provide a more convenient channel for goods from eastern Sichuan, southern Gansu and Shaanxi, and parts of Chongqing to reach the waterway and the sea," said Wang Botao, director of the municipal port and maritime affairs center.

Jiang Xia, Party chief of Zhongxian county, said that a logistics park near the port is under construction. The park will rely on the advantages of port logistics to develop warehousing, green building materials, cold chain logistics and electronic information industries.