GMS international road transport service connects China's Qingdao, Bangkok

QINGDAO, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- A Great Mekong Subregion (GMS) international road transport service has been launched between Qingdao, a port city in east China's Shandong Province, and the Thai capital of Bangkok as part of efforts to facilitate transportation in the GMS.

Loaded with agricultural products from Shandong, a truck departed from a bonded operational site at the Qingdao Port on Friday, marking the inauguration of the service.

The truck will cross the border via the land port of Mohan, pass through Laos and arrive in Bangkok. The seven-day trip spans about 4,400 km.

The vehicle, holding a GMS international road transport permit and a temporary entry certificate, is exempt from paying customs duties and guarantees when crossing GMS countries. According to Qingdao customs, such a vehicle is allowed to freely cross borders between GMS countries along designated routes, with the container no longer necessary to be transferred onto another truck or unstuffing.

Ma Li, an export department manager at Qingdao Baiwei Auto Transportation Co., Ltd., said the service saves costs and makes customs procedures more convenient.

The service was part of the actions to implement the consensus reached at the Eighth Meeting of the Joint Committee for the GMS Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement.

The GMS comprises China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.