Ereenhot port sees increase in passenger, cargo traffic

As of June 16, the Ereenhot port in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region witnessed a significant surge in both passenger and cargo traffic.

The number of border crossings exceeded 1 million, reaching the milestone 103 days earlier than last year, with a peak single-day record of 11,125 crossings.

In the first five months of this year, the port processed 8.48 million metric tons of cargo, marking a 6.3 percent increase year-on-year, with May seeing a record-breaking monthly cargo volume of over 1.8 million tons.

Ereenhot is the largest land port open to Mongolia in China and serves as a critical gateway for the country's Belt and Road Initiative and its northern opening-up strategy.

The implementation of favorable policies, such as the trial opening of road inspections for vehicles with fewer than eight seats and the 24-hour trial operation for road freight, has made Ereenhot a preferred route for cross-border tourism and family visits. Consequently, the port has experienced a dual growth in both passenger and cargo traffic.

In response to the rapid increase in passenger flow, the port has introduced seven innovative service management measures.

These include real-time traffic updates, extended customs clearance hours, and categorized passenger flow management, all aimed at converting the increased border traffic into local economic growth and supporting the port's high-level opening-up and high-quality development.

As the first road freight port to offer 24-hour clearance to Mongolia, Ereenhot port handles over 70 percent of Mongolia's daily necessities and 80 percent of its fruit and vegetable imports.

By June 12, the road freight corridor had processed over 100,000 vehicles, with a daily average of over 1,000 trucks becoming the norm.

In a bid to accommodate the increasing passenger and cargo traffic, the port has deployed an additional 40 police officers and continues to enhance convenient clearance measures such as the "green channel" for Sino-Mongolian agricultural products and the dedicated lane for commercial vehicles. It offers "one-stop" border inspection services, minimizing clearance steps and reducing processing time.

"By reducing time across all stages of clearance, the efficiency of border checks has significantly increased, reducing operational costs for businesses and enhancing market competitiveness," said Zhang Yucheng, manager of Ereenhot Haogang Fruit, Vegetable, Grain, and Oil Import and Export Co.