Chinese Traders Shift to Rail and Trucks for Iran Shipments as May Rail Slots Fill
Updated
Updated · South China Morning Post · May 24
Chinese Traders Shift to Rail and Trucks for Iran Shipments as May Rail Slots Fill
6 articles · Updated · South China Morning Post · May 24
Chinese merchants trading with Iran are scrambling to lock in rail and trucking capacity to Tehran as shipping disruption in the Strait of Hormuz drags on.
May rail slots are already fully booked, pushing traders such as Han Yun to hunt for June space on the China-Europe Railway Express or fall back on overland trucking routes.
Han has spent recent weeks traveling between Xinjiang, Xi'an and Yiwu to compare transport costs and secure capacity, trying to restart shipments once conditions improve.
The shift highlights how conflict-hit sea lanes are forcing China-Iran trade onto transcontinental Eurasian land links that traders hope will prove more reliable.
With railways fully booked, can China's overland 'New Silk Road' sustain its vital trade lifeline to Iran?
As the Strait of Hormuz becomes a battleground, is a new Eurasian trade empire rising on land?