On August 27, 2026, during the 18th International Exhibition on Transport Technology and Equipment, organized by the Ministry of Transport of China, the Innovation and Cooperation Event of the Railway Connectivity Standards Scheme (RCSS) was held in Beijing. Capt. Lin, Chairman of the CAREC Federation of International Logistics and Commerce Associations (CFILCA), was invited to attend the event and deliver a keynote address. During the event, Mr. Xie Hui, Deputy Director of the China International Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center, presented Capt Lin with his appointment letter as a Technical Expert of the RCSS.
Under the theme “Standards Connectivity, Industry-Innovation Integration, and Building a New Framework for Multimodal Transport in the Asia-Pacific,” representatives from research institutions, universities, railway and transport enterprises, logistics organizations and other stakeholders held in-depth discussions on multimodal transport, green and low-carbon development, digital transformation and standards coordination.
Capt. Lin delivered a keynote address entitled “From CAREC to RCSS: Addressing Gaps in ‘Soft Connectivity’ and Advancing Cross-Regional Transferable Transport Documentation.”
He noted that remarkable progress has been made in the development of “hard connectivity” infrastructure across the Asia-Pacific region. However, “soft connectivity”—including rules, standards, documentation, guarantees and insurance—continues to lag behind infrastructure development.
Against this background, Capt. Lin emphasized that the Railway Connectivity Standards Scheme (RCSS) should further strengthen its role as a platform for developing the institutional infrastructure of regional transport, providing more systematic and coordinated rules and standards to support cross-border transport and multimodal logistics.
He also highlighted the important role played by the China International Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center as the coordinator of the RCSS, particularly in coordinating technical resources, facilitating cooperation and promoting the implementation of standards-related outcomes.
During his presentation, Capt. Lin provided a systematic overview of CFILCA’s experience in advancing “soft connectivity” across the CAREC region. Since its establishment in Almaty in 2010, CFILCA has focused on four key areas: transport corridor performance assessment, international and regional standards development, transit guarantees and liability insurance, and public-private cooperation. To date, CFILCA has contributed to the development of nearly 40 international and regional standards.
In recent years, CFILCA has worked with the ASEAN Federation of Forwarders Associations (AFFA) to advance the CAREC–ASEAN Transport Alliance (CATA) initiative and has developed a comprehensive transferable land transport documentation system compatible with the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents (NCD Convention).
The system is built on the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) as a global legal-entity identification and trust foundation and incorporates four core innovations: dual-law selection, adaptation of established maritime practices, and integrated institutional arrangements across the full transport chain.
Drawing on its experience in the CAREC region, Capt. Lin summarized three key lessons for strengthening regional “soft connectivity”: institutional support, addressing gaps in existing frameworks, and market enablement.
He also put forward three recommendations for future cooperation under the RCSS:
First, develop pilot projects for cross-regional transferable land transport documents, promoting the application of relevant rules and standards in real-world trade and transport scenarios.
Second, use digitalization as a driver to promote data interoperability among transport documents, smart equipment, cargo transport units, means of transport, cargo information and all relevant stakeholders.
Third, focus on areas where institutional frameworks remain relatively weak, including transit guarantees and liability insurance, and strengthen institutional design and standards provision to further improve the risk protection framework for cross-border transport.
Capt. Lin emphasized that “the vitality of standards lies in application, and the key to application lies in implementation.” He stressed that standards developed under the RCSS framework should be supported by effective mechanisms for standards implementation and adoption, enabling the transition from “paper consensus” to institutional implementation.
Only by completing this full cycle can standards connectivity under the RCSS evolve from technical agreements within a multilateral framework into institutional infrastructure that can be implemented, regulated and scaled across countries.
Capt. Lin also emphasized the importance of recognizing the role of international and regional standards in multilateral cooperation. The core value of multilateral cooperation lies in bringing together the institutional knowledge and practical experience of countries across a region to develop rules and standards that no single country could establish independently.
CFILCA, he noted, hopes to work through multilateral cooperation mechanisms to systematically develop neutral, market-oriented standards that respond to practical market needs, enabling market participants, including small and medium-sized enterprises, to benefit from the institutional dividends generated by regional cooperation.
During the event, Mr. Xie Hui, Deputy Director of the China International Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center, presented Capt Lin with the appointment letter as a Technical Expert of the RCSS.
The appointment marks a further strengthening of CFILCA’s participation in the RCSS, particularly in technical standards development, cross-regional pilot projects and practical implementation of standards-related initiatives.
Capt Lin stated that CFILCA looks forward to strengthening cooperation with the China International Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center and other relevant stakeholders, working together to advance the implementation of the RCSS and contributing professional expertise to railway standards connectivity, coordination of cross-border transport rules, and the high-quality development of multimodal transport across the Asia-Pacific region.
The China International Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center is a public institution affiliated with the Ministry of Transport of China.
On October 14, 2021, President Xi Jinping announced at the opening ceremony of the Second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference that China would establish the China International Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center. On October 14, 2022, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter on the establishment of the Center, noting that its establishment was an important initiative to support the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Guided by the vision of “Connecting with the World and Keeping Pace with the Times,” the Center is committed to serving as a high-level think tank for global sustainable transport development, an international platform for exchange and cooperation, a showcase for transport innovation achievements, and a talent development base for international transport organizations. It supports the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Railway Connectivity Standards Scheme (RCSS) was jointly initiated by the China International Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) and was endorsed in September 2025 at the Ninth Meeting of the Working Group on the Trans-Asian Railway Network.
The RCSS aims to reduce technical barriers to cross-border railway transport through standards coordination and to promote greater railway connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region.
The RCSS is currently advancing work in areas including digital logistics coordination, green energy applications, key corridor pilots and multimodal transport integration. As the coordinator of the RCSS, the China International Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center continues to play an important role in integrating technical resources, coordinating cooperation and promoting the application and dissemination of relevant outcomes.
