On April 28, 2026, the Seminar on Innovative Cooperation for Railway Connectivity Standards between China and Neighboring Countries, held as part of the Global Sustainable Transport Humanistic Exchange Advanced Training Programme, was successfully convened at the East (International) Campus of Southwest Jiaotong University. 

The CAREC Federation of International Logistics and Commerce Associations (CFILCA) was invited to participate in the seminar, joining more than 40 representatives from over 20 organizations and enterprises from China and abroad, including L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University of Kazakhstan, the Kunming Institute for International Logistics in South and Southeast Asia, and the Land-Sea New Corridor Operation Co., Ltd.

The seminar focused on three key dimensions of regional connectivity: “hard connectivity” through infrastructure, “soft connectivity” through rules and standards, and “people-to-people connectivity.” Discussions covered a range of topics, including the operational connectivity of the Pan-Asia Railway, the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents (NCD Convention), land-port partnerships, cross-border transport cooperation, and the implementation plan for the advanced training programme. The International Center introduced the Railway Connectivity Standards Scheme (RCSS) and its expected outcomes for 2026. Southwest Jiaotong University also presented the progress in establishing the Scientific and Technical Group under the RCSS, providing strong technical and academic support for the training programme.

During the seminar, Capt. Lin Zhong, Chairman of CFILCA, delivered a keynote presentation entitled “The World’s First Transferable Land Transport Document System Compatible with the NCD Convention.”

In his presentation, Chairman Lin introduced CFILCA’s document innovation under the framework of the NCD Convention, including the CATA (CAREC–ASEAN Transport Alliance) Trade and Logistics Documentation System. He also exchanged views in depth with experts and industry representatives from China and other countries on the development of cross-border transport documentation and regional logistics cooperation.

The presentation demonstrated CFILCA’s ongoing efforts to promote innovation in transport documentation and regional standardization, while exploring practical solutions to strengthen logistics cooperation between Central Asia, China and neighboring countries and to improve cross-border transport efficiency.

The advanced training programme is scheduled to take place in Urumqi, Xi’an and Chengdu in July 2026, with representatives from transport authorities and railway enterprises of neighboring countries expected to participate.

The programme aims to establish a high-level cooperation platform bringing together government authorities, enterprises, research institutions and international organizations. By sharing China’s experience in sustainable transport development, the programme will promote technical exchanges and project cooperation, contributing to stronger regional connectivity and high-quality transport development.