China and Tajikistan will jointly build a multimodal transportation corridor that will link China and Turkey through the countries of the region. This is reported in a joint statement of the two countries released on Friday.

According to the joint statement, the multimodal transportation corridor will link China and Turkey through regional countries including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran.

The document points out that cooperation between China and Tajikistan in logistics has yielded results, and emphasizes the importance of strengthening regional transport infrastructure interconnectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative.

According to the statement, the two sides expressed their willingness to further deepen cooperation in China-Europe freight trains. In addition, the two sides attach great importance to the construction of a transport corridor linking China, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, and will gradually carry out the modernization of the China-Tajikistan-Uzbekistan highway, making full use of the potential of the Kulyab logistics center in Tajikistan.

The joint statement was issued during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Tajikistan at the invitation of Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon.

China's international trade in goods and services reached nearly 4.06 trillion yuan in value terms in May 2024, up 7 percent year-on-year, official data released on Friday showed.

In dollar terms, the value of exports and imports of goods and services in the country's international trade totaled $302.5 billion. The value of exports and imports of goods and services in the country's international trade amounted to $302.5 billion and $268.9 billion. The value of exports and imports of goods and services amounted to US$302.5 billion and US$268.9 billion, respectively, recording a surplus of US$33.6 billion. China's international trade amounted to US$302.5 billion, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange Control of the People's Republic of China said.

Among them, China's merchandise exports reached 1.95 trillion yuan in May, while imports reached 1.56 trillion yuan. The surplus reached 391.4 billion yuan.

Last month, China exported 202.4 billion yuan worth of services and imported 355.1 billion yuan worth of services. At the same time, the passive balance amounted to 152.7 billion yuan.

Tourism took the largest share in the country's services trade during the reporting period, with the country's imports and exports of tourism services totaling 159.7 billion yuan, followed by transportation and other commercial services, the ministry said.

The acute shortage of 40ft high-cube containers has been hampering the shipment of export cargo from Bangladesh, with MSC and Hapag Lloyd among the major liner operators trying to reposition equipment from nearby ports.

The situation has been exacerbated by the congestion at Singapore, where hundreds of Bangladesh-bound containers are stranded, due to berthing delays, stakeholders claimed.

Also, a significant numbers of 40ft containers are stuck at Chittagong port, as importers are not collecting their boxes because of the Eid holidays.

Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association, said the depots had experienced carrier-wide shortages of 40ft boxes.

n index of export container transportation / in May 2024 increased by 14.3 percent. compared to the previous month, showed the data of the Shanghai Shipping Exchange.

At the end of last month, the average index of export container transportation amounted to 1358.71, the exchange said.

During the period, the subindex of routes to West Africa showed the highest growth, increasing by 53.3 percent in monthly terms.

It is followed by subindices of routes to South America and South Africa, which increased by 50.6 percent and 29.6 percent, respectively, in monthly terms.

On January 1, 1998, this index was set at 1,000.

China's Air China has increased the frequency of flights to the UK by adding a direct route between Beijing's Shoudou International Airport and London's Gatwick Airport.

A ceremony to launch the air route was held at Gatwick Airport on Saturday. Flight CA851/2 will operate once a day.

Jonathan Pollard, commercial director of Gatwick Airport, which is the second largest airport in Britain, said the increase in the number of flights on the London -- Beijing route will promote exchanges and cooperation between Britain and China in the fields of trade and tourism, Xinhua Correspondent Jonathan Pollard told Xinhua.

“I believe today's new service is indicative of the growth we are seeing in the UK and Chinese markets,” he added.

According to an Air China press release given to Xinhua on Sunday, nearly 250 passengers took a direct flight to Beijing the day before. Many of them were on their first trip to China since the pandemic to visit relatives, vacation or for business purposes.