The official launch of the Xiamen-Southeast Asia "Silk Road Maritime" cross-border e-commerce express channel. [Photo by Lin Yuyang for swj.xm.gov.cn]

A batch of goods transported by the "Silk Road Maritime" cross-border e-commerce express route departed from Haitian Terminal in the Xiamen Free Trade Zone on June 27 and is expected to arrive at Manila Port in the Philippines three days later. This marks the official launch of the Xiamen-Southeast Asia "Silk Road Maritime" cross-border e-commerce express channel.

The first phase of the channel integrates 27 direct shipping routes from Xiamen Port to Southeast Asia, achieving point-to-point coverage of ports in countries such as Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand. 

Among these, 11 are officially designated "Silk Road Maritime" routes, creating a high-efficiency, low-cost logistics channel for e-commerce enterprises expanding into Southeast Asia.

To ensure the efficient operation of the channel, the Xiamen FTZ Administrative Committee has collaborated with multiple departments to introduce 17 supporting measures. These measures cover route optimization, regulatory innovation, infrastructure upgrades, and more, and are expected to improve overall logistics efficiency by over 20 percent.

Statistics show that Xiamen Port operates 53 Southeast Asia shipping routes, covering 26 ports in seven countries. In 2024, Xiamen's cross-border e-commerce import and export volume reached 35.78 billion yuan ($4.99 billion), marking a year-on-year growth of over 50 percent.