be continually changed and tweaked with passage of time. This especially brings to
fore the prospect of making changes to the notification to accommodate policy. Be
that as it may, it is clear that there is an intention to provide procedurally systematic
and substantively fair protection for businesses operating in the Chongqing PFTZ.
3 Using Maritime Rules in Railway Carriage to Facilitate
Trade Finance in Chongqing PFTZ
The Chongqing PFTZ covers an area of 119.98 square kilometres and is considered
important for the development of the western region of China. This PFTZ is
overseeing the construction of an international logistics hub, a port and an inland
open-economic highland designed to meet the goals outlined under the terms of both
the BRI and the Yangtze River Economic Belt development programme. The
ambition of the PFTZ is to establish a multimodal logistics trans-shipment centre
that offers a range of services, including international trans-shipment, consolidation
and distribution.
36 This PFTZ also supports the Chongqing-Duisburg rail corridor
which is one of the several Eurasian railway corridors connecting China and Europe.
The Eurasian railway corridors are governed under two different international
legal regimes for freight transport, one through the CIM-COTIF
37 and the other
through the SMGS.
38 While countries in Western Europe, Central Asia and North
Africa are party to CIM-COTIF,
39 China, Russia and several countries in Eastern
Europe follow the SMGS.
40 There are some countries along the corridors that
participate both in the COTIF and the SMGS.
41 Following the disintegration of
the Soviet Union and the expansion of trade between CIM and SMGS countries, a
stronger need to promote legal interoperability between the two regimes was felt
both nationally and internationally. This led to the effectuation of the CIM/SMGS
36 The authors visited Chongqing PFTZ in July 2018 and it was explained during the tour of the
facilities that within a few years of its establishment, the PFTZ has embraced a broad range of
activities which include innovative manufacturing and related services, commodity exchange, cloud
computing hub, trading in financial services, professional services, etc.
37 Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail 1980 (COTIF); the current version is the
Uniform Rules Concerning the Contract for International Carriage of Goods by Rail (CIM),
Appendix B to the Convention, amended by the 1999 Protocol.
38 SMGS is the abbreviation for the Russian title of the Agreement on International Railway Freight
Transportation.
39 Currently the COTIF has more than 50 members, including Germany, France, United Kingdom,
Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, Pakistan etc. European Union acceded
to the COTIF in July 2011 by virtue of Council Decision 2013/103/EU.
40 Currently there are 28 members of the SMGS including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan etc.
41 The Baltic states, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Iran, Azerbaijan, etc. participates in both
COTIF and SMGS. Russia participates in the COTIF since 1 February 2010 only with regard to two
short lines in the Baltic harbour areas.
Maritime Rules for Rail Carriage: China’s Initiative to. . .
49
fore the prospect of making changes to the notification to accommodate policy. Be
that as it may, it is clear that there is an intention to provide procedurally systematic
and substantively fair protection for businesses operating in the Chongqing PFTZ.
3 Using Maritime Rules in Railway Carriage to Facilitate
Trade Finance in Chongqing PFTZ
The Chongqing PFTZ covers an area of 119.98 square kilometres and is considered
important for the development of the western region of China. This PFTZ is
overseeing the construction of an international logistics hub, a port and an inland
open-economic highland designed to meet the goals outlined under the terms of both
the BRI and the Yangtze River Economic Belt development programme. The
ambition of the PFTZ is to establish a multimodal logistics trans-shipment centre
that offers a range of services, including international trans-shipment, consolidation
and distribution.
36 This PFTZ also supports the Chongqing-Duisburg rail corridor
which is one of the several Eurasian railway corridors connecting China and Europe.
The Eurasian railway corridors are governed under two different international
legal regimes for freight transport, one through the CIM-COTIF
37 and the other
through the SMGS.
38 While countries in Western Europe, Central Asia and North
Africa are party to CIM-COTIF,
39 China, Russia and several countries in Eastern
Europe follow the SMGS.
40 There are some countries along the corridors that
participate both in the COTIF and the SMGS.
41 Following the disintegration of
the Soviet Union and the expansion of trade between CIM and SMGS countries, a
stronger need to promote legal interoperability between the two regimes was felt
both nationally and internationally. This led to the effectuation of the CIM/SMGS
36 The authors visited Chongqing PFTZ in July 2018 and it was explained during the tour of the
facilities that within a few years of its establishment, the PFTZ has embraced a broad range of
activities which include innovative manufacturing and related services, commodity exchange, cloud
computing hub, trading in financial services, professional services, etc.
37 Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail 1980 (COTIF); the current version is the
Uniform Rules Concerning the Contract for International Carriage of Goods by Rail (CIM),
Appendix B to the Convention, amended by the 1999 Protocol.
38 SMGS is the abbreviation for the Russian title of the Agreement on International Railway Freight
Transportation.
39 Currently the COTIF has more than 50 members, including Germany, France, United Kingdom,
Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, Pakistan etc. European Union acceded
to the COTIF in July 2011 by virtue of Council Decision 2013/103/EU.
40 Currently there are 28 members of the SMGS including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan etc.
41 The Baltic states, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Iran, Azerbaijan, etc. participates in both
COTIF and SMGS. Russia participates in the COTIF since 1 February 2010 only with regard to two
short lines in the Baltic harbour areas.
Maritime Rules for Rail Carriage: China’s Initiative to. . .
49