A view of the gateway of China in the Manzhouli port [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]

The city of Manzhouli in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region has experienced rapid development while participating in the construction of the Belt and Road and the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor.

Manzhouli, known as the "Window of East Asia," is bordered by Russia at the north and Mongolia at the west. It is a bridgehead for China to open up to the northern countries.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), the total volume of goods passing through the Manzhouli port reached 78.95 million metric tons. 

The number of China-Europe train lines through Manzhouli increased to 57, and a total of 10,445 trains were opened.

During the same period, the total foreign trade value handled by the Manzhouli port reached 55.9 billion yuan ($8.39 billion).

In the first half of this year, a total of 2,215 China-Europe trains entered and left the country through the Manzhouli port, sending 182,516 TEUs of goods, an increase of 34.2 percent and 40.9 percent year-on-year. The number of China-Europe trains handled by the Manzhouli port has ranked first among border ports in the country.

Taking advantage of its port and border advantages, Manzhouli is making efforts to develop its import processing and tourism industries.

From 2016 to 2020, the total GDP of Manzhouli reached 59 billion yuan, 23.74 million cubic meters of imported timber were delivered, and 363,000 tons of imported agricultural products were processed.

As the country's first batch of border tourism pilot areas and all-for-one tourism demonstration areas, Manzhouli had developed and cultivated tourism brands such as the Tea Road and the China-Russia-Mongolia Self-driving Tour.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, Manzhouli received a total of 23.29 million tourist visits, with a total tourism income of 36.68 billion yuan. The number of inbound tourists from Russia ranked first in the border ports of China and Russia.