An aerial view of Jiaxing Port. [Photo/Tide News]

Jiaxing Port in East China's Zhejiang province received its first shipment of imported meat under a model combining the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) system and cold-chain transport on Jan 7, marking a significant step forward in cross-border logistics for the Yangtze River Delta region.

A specialized truck, marked with the TIR symbol and carrying a sealed, temperature-controlled container, arrived at the port. Under the supervision of Jiaxing Customs, 22 metric tons of imported meat were cleared.

The TIR system is a United Nations-backed global transit system, simplifying customs clearance through a single declaration, a single certificate, and direct transport. It is suitable for high-perishability goods such as meat and fruit.

This new transport mode offers a competitive advantage in the market. According to Xu Zhongwei, deputy general manager of Zhejiang Runbang Supply Chain Co Ltd, the TIR system cuts transit time by about two-thirds compared with sea freight and costs only a quarter of air freight. The shipment arrived at Jiaxing Port in just 12 days under secure and controlled temperature conditions.

Zhejiang Runbang has also handled multiple import batches through Jiaxing Port, including fruit and king crab imports, with fruit imports alone reaching about 8,000 metric tons. 

Following the success of this shipment, the company plans to expand its imports of pork, beef, poultry, and agricultural products from Europe this year and bring in meat-processing enterprises to further enrich the food offerings in the Yangtze River Delta region.