LHZTIR: A New Land Logistics Corridor Connecting China-Spain Trade
On the western coast of the Mediterranean, the Iberian Peninsula, with its unique geographical location and mature logistics network, serves as a crucial hub connecting Europe with Africa and the Americas. As the fourth-largest economy in the European Union, Spain has established a comprehensive strategic partnership with China. Cooperation between the two countries in renewable energy, automotive manufacturing, agricultural trade, and other fields is deepening. With the alignment of the "Belt and Road" initiative and Europe's development strategies, the demand for cargo transportation between China and Spain continues to grow, particularly for high-value-added products. Against this backdrop, LHZTIR has launched a two-way TIR trucking service between China and Spain, providing efficient and reliable land transport solutions for businesses in both countries.
New Opportunities and Challenges in China-Spain Trade
China is Spain's largest trading partner outside the EU, while Spain is also an important economic and trade partner for China within the EU. In 2022, the bilateral trade volume between China and Spain exceeded $50 billion. China's exports to Spain of mechanical and electrical products, textiles, and chemical products grew rapidly, while Spain's exports to China of high-quality agricultural products such as ham, wine, and olive oil, as well as automotive parts and machinery, maintained steady growth. Particularly with the rapid development of China's new energy vehicle market, Spanish automotive parts companies are seeing new growth points in exports to China.
However, traditional transportation methods face numerous challenges: sea freight requires 35-40 days of transit time and is significantly affected by port congestion; air freight is costly and unsuitable for bulk cargo; and rail transport faces bottlenecks in last-mile delivery on the Iberian Peninsula. Many small and medium-sized enterprises in Spain miss opportunities in the Chinese market due to high logistics costs and unstable timeliness. To address this market demand, LHZTIR has designed a professional TIR trucking solution, controlling transit time to 20-25 days and reducing costs by over 60% compared to air freight, providing a viable path for SMEs to enter each other's markets.
Core Advantages of the TIR System: The Perfect Combination of Efficiency and Safety
As an internationally recognized standard for cross-border road transport, the advantages of the TIR system are particularly evident on the 13,000-kilometer China-Spain transport route. Compared to ordinary international transport, TIR transport offers three unique advantages:
Significant improvement in border crossing efficiency. According to actual operational data, trucks using the TIR system experience average waiting times of only 4-6 hours at borders in Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and other countries, whereas ordinary freight vehicles require 24-48 hours. This efficiency improvement is mainly due to the standardization of TIR documents and customs mutual recognition mechanisms. Using the same customs document throughout the journey, customs authorities in transit countries only need to verify seal integrity without repeated inspections, greatly simplifying clearance procedures.
Comprehensive enhancement of cargo security. LHZTIR employs a three-layer security mechanism: first, physical seal management, with each container equipped with a unique digital seal that automatically records and alerts in real time if tampered with; second,全程 temperature monitoring, crucial for transporting temperature-sensitive goods such as food and pharmaceuticals; third, 24-hour satellite tracking, allowing customers to monitor cargo location and environmental data in real time through a dedicated platform. Statistics show that cargo damage rates using this system are reduced by over 85% compared to traditional transport.
Clear advantages in transport flexibility. Unlike fixed train schedules in rail transport, TIR trucks can flexibly adjust departure times and routes based on customer needs. This flexibility becomes a significant competitive advantage, especially when handling urgent orders or special cargo. LHZTIR provides direct services from 15 major industrial cities in China to 8 major cities in Spain, including Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, covering over 90% of Spain's industrial areas.
Xinjiang's Dual Ports: Strategic Pillars of the Land Corridor
The Alashankou and Horgos ports in Xinjiang are China's western gateways to Europe, and their operational efficiency directly impacts the timeliness of the entire transport chain. LHZTIR has established a comprehensive self-operated service system at these two ports:
At Alashankou Port, the company invested in building a modern logistics park covering 5,000 square meters, equipped with an automated customs declaration system and a professional customs coordination team. Through a direct data connection system with China's General Administration of Customs, electronic review of customs declarations can be achieved, reducing average clearance time to 3 hours. Particularly when handling sensitive goods such as agricultural by-products and chemicals, professional pre-classification services avoid delays caused by declaration errors.
As an emerging multimodal transport hub, LHZTIR established a Central Asia regional operations center at Horgos Port. This center not only handles road transport operations but also coordinates the connection between China-Europe rail services and road transport. The company has established a fast-track mechanism with Kazakh customs, controlling the transit time for Chinese vehicles to within 6 hours. In 2023, freight volume through this port increased by 40% year-on-year, making it one of the fastest-growing corridors for China-Europe land transport.
The self-operated customs declaration teams at both ports are equipped with Spanish-speaking professionals, enabling direct communication with Spanish importers to ensure accurate documentation. This end-to-end service model simplifies the complex multi-party coordination process in traditional transport into a single-window service.
A 100,000-Square-Meter Intelligent Warehouse Network: The Stable Foundation of the Supply Chain
LHZTIR has built over 100,000 square meters of intelligent warehouse facilities at key logistics nodes in China's Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain:
In China, the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Bonded Warehouse covers 25,000 square meters and is equipped with automated shelving systems and robotic sorting systems, with a daily processing capacity of 500 tons. The warehouse holds AEO advanced certification from customs, enabling 24-hour rapid clearance. For specialty Spanish products, the warehouse has specially designed constant temperature and humidity areas to provide professional storage services for ham, wine, and other goods.
In Spain, the Madrid Storage Center is located in the Coslada Logistics Park, covering 18,000 square meters and only 20 kilometers from Madrid city center. The center is built according to EU pharmaceutical GDP standards and food HACCP standards, providing professional storage services for medical products and food. The Barcelona warehouse is located in the Llobregat Logistics Zone, adjacent to the Port of Barcelona, facilitating sea-land intermodal transport connections.
The intelligent warehouse system enables real-time visual inventory management. Customers can check inventory status at any time through a mobile application, and the system can automatically generate replenishment suggestions based on sales data. 2023 data shows that customers using this system experienced an average 30% increase in inventory turnover and a 25% reduction in storage costs.
Dual Customs Clearance Services: Professional Trade Facilitation Solutions
Tailored to the characteristics of China-Spain trade, LHZTIR provides professional dual customs clearance solutions:
On the Chinese export side, the company has established an HS code database covering major product categories, accurately classifying over 5,000 common goods imported into Spain. The customs clearance team pre-reviews all documents to ensure compliance with both Chinese export and Spanish import requirements. For goods requiring special certifications such as CE marks or sanitary permits, the company provides one-stop certification agency services.
On the Spanish import side, LHZTIR has established strategic partnerships with well-known customs brokers in Madrid and Barcelona. The team is familiar with Spain's VAT system, tariff preferential policies, and special regional regulations, providing customers with optimal customs clearance solutions. Particularly when handling agricultural imports, professionals pre-review documents such as phytosanitary certificates and health certificates to ensure compliance with the stringent requirements of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture.
The greatest value of dual customs clearance services lies in risk prevention and control. Through pre-review and process optimization, customs clearance delays can be controlled below 2%, compared to an industry average of 8-10%. For companies engaging in China-Spain trade for the first time, the company also offers全程 trade compliance consulting to help avoid risks arising from unfamiliarity with regulations.
Seven Weekly Regular Operations: A Commitment to Stable Transport
LHZTIR has established a scientific and efficient operational system:
In terms of departure schedules, three main departures are scheduled from Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Yiwu in China every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; three supplementary departures from Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Hefei every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and one emergency departure on Sunday. This "3+3+1" schedule design ensures transport frequency while reserving emergency handling capacity.
Transport routes are meticulously optimized. The eastern route passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, and France to Spain, covering approximately 12,500 kilometers; the western route passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Austria, and Italy to Spain, covering approximately 11,800 kilometers. The two routes can be flexibly selected based on seasonal, weather, and political factors to ensure transport stability.
Vehicle and driver management strictly adhere to EU standards. All vehicles are equipped with Euro 6 emission engines and installed with active safety systems and fatigue driving warning devices. The driver team consists of professionals from both China and Spain, familiar with traffic regulations and customs in countries along the route. The company also purchases €3 million in transport liability insurance for each truck, providing additional protection for customers.
Customized Services: Meeting Diverse Needs
Tailored to different industry characteristics, LHZTIR provides specialized transport solutions:
For automotive parts customers, JIT (Just-In-Time) transport services are offered, with time accuracy controlled within ±4 hours, and equipped with shock-proof packaging and constant-temperature transport equipment.
For fashion industry customers, the "Fast Fashion Express" is launched, compressing transport time from Yiwu small commodities to Madrid's clothing market to 18 days, and providing temporary storage and rapid distribution services.
For food industry customers, EU food transport standards are strictly enforced, with全程 temperature records traceable, and value-added services such as import label replacement are provided.
The company has also developed a carbon footprint calculation system, providing carbon emission reports for each shipment to help customers achieve sustainable development goals.
Looking to the Future: A Digital Logistics Ecosystem
As China-Spain trade continues to grow, LHZTIR is accelerating its digital transformation. Plans include launching a blockchain document platform in 2026 to achieve electronic and tamper-proof documentation for all transport documents; introducing autonomous vehicle fleets in 2026 for pilot unmanned transport on certain route segments; and collaborating with major Spanish ports to build an intelligent multimodal transport dispatch system integrating sea, land, and air.
From Yiwu's small commodity markets to Madrid's wholesale markets, from Shanghai's industrial parks to Barcelona's automotive factories, LHZTIR is becoming an important link connecting the Chinese and Spanish economies. We sincerely invite Spanish enterprises to experience this professional service and jointly explore a new chapter in Eurasian trade. Through our land corridor, let Spanish wine and olive oil reach Chinese dining tables faster, and let Chinese electronic products and machinery better serve the Spanish market, achieving true mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.