LHZTIR: A New Land Logistics Corridor Connecting China-Serbia Trade
At the heart of the Balkan Peninsula along the Danube River, Serbia, with its hub position connecting Southeast and Central Europe, is becoming an important pivot for the "Belt and Road" initiative in Southeastern Europe. As a key partner of China in Europe, Serbia has established a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, achieving fruitful cooperation in infrastructure construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and other fields. With the deep alignment of the "Belt and Road" initiative and Serbia's "re-industrialization" strategy, the demand for cargo flow between China and Serbia is growing rapidly. In response, LHZTIR officially launched the two-way TIR trucking service between China and Serbia, creating an efficient, reliable, and cost-effective land logistics corridor through regular weekly operations of seven departures.
Strategic Opportunities in China-Serbia Economic and Trade Cooperation
Serbia is the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with China. In 2023, bilateral trade exceeded $6 billion, reaching a record high. China's exports to Serbia of machinery, electronics, textiles, and other goods continue to grow, while Serbia's exports to China of agricultural products, wine, non-ferrous metals, and other goods also show great potential. Particularly with the advancement of major infrastructure projects such as the Hungary-Serbia Railway, cities like Belgrade and Novi Sad are developing into regional logistics centers.
However, traditional transportation methods face numerous challenges: sea freight transshipment takes 45-50 days, with multiple port transfers increasing the risk of cargo damage; air freight is costly; and existing land transport channels need efficiency improvements. Many Serbian enterprises urgently need a logistics solution that balances cost and timeliness. LHZTIR accurately identifies this demand, offering a professional TIR trucking service that controls China-Serbia transit time to 20-24 days and reduces costs by over 60% compared to air freight, providing a new option for businesses in both countries.
Excellent Performance of the TIR System
The TIR system, as an internationally recognized standard for cross-border road transport, demonstrates unique advantages on the China-Serbia route:
Efficient customs clearance experience. Vehicles using the TIR system have an average clearance time of only 4-6 hours at key transit countries such as Kazakhstan, Russia, and Belarus, over 75% faster than traditional transport. This is due to the standardization of TIR documents and the customs mutual recognition mechanism among countries along the route. After vehicles are sealed at the point of origin, customs authorities in transit countries only check seal integrity without repeated inspections, greatly improving transport efficiency.
End-to-end safety monitoring. LHZTIR equips each transport vehicle with an intelligent monitoring system integrating BeiDou/GPS dual-mode positioning, temperature and humidity sensing, vibration alarms, and other functions. Customers can track cargo location and environmental data in real time through a multilingual digital platform, achieving refined management of sensitive goods. The system also supports automatic alerts for abnormal situations, ensuring transport safety.
Flexible transport services. Compared to the fixed arrangements of other transport methods, TIR trucks can provide door-to-door direct service from Chinese factories to Serbian warehouses. LHZTIR has opened direct routes from 12 major industrial cities in China to 5 major cities in Serbia, including Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Niš, and can provide customized transport solutions based on customer needs.
Precise Services at Xinjiang Ports
The Alashankou and Horgos ports, as key nodes in China-Europe land transport, play an important role in LHZTIR's transport system:
The Alashankou Port Operations Center employs an intelligent clearance system that achieves real-time data synchronization with China's General Administration of Customs. Through electronic customs declarations, intelligent document review, and other technical means, the average clearance time is compressed to 3.5 hours. The professional team is familiar with Serbian market access requirements and can provide customers with comprehensive services such as commodity code classification and technical document preparation.
The Horgos Port Multimodal Transport Center innovatively implements a "single-document" transport model, integrating road and rail transport resources. Through an electronic data exchange mechanism established with Kazakh customs, transit time for Chinese vehicles is controlled within 5 hours. In the first three quarters of 2024, the volume of goods transported to Serbia through this port increased by 70% year-on-year, making it one of the fastest-growing transport channels.
The self-operated customs declaration teams at both ports are staffed with Serbian-speaking professionals capable of directly handling clearance documents for local importers, ensuring accurate and compliant documentation. This localized service significantly enhances the smoothness of cross-border transport.
Intelligent Warehouse Network
LHZTIR has deployed over 100,000 square meters of modern warehouse facilities at strategic locations in China and Serbia:
The Chinese warehouse network centers on Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Yiwu, with a total area of 58,000 square meters. The Shanghai Free Trade Zone warehouse is equipped with a 28-meter-high automated storage system capable of handling 600 tons daily; the Yiwu cross-border warehouse specifically sets up sample display areas for Serbian customers, supporting small-scale wholesale business. All warehouses achieve seamless integration between WMS and ERP systems.
The Serbian warehouse layout covers major cities such as Belgrade and Novi Sad, with a total area of 45,000 square meters. The Belgrade warehouse is located along the Pan-European Corridor X, 15 kilometers from the city center, equipped with professional cold chain facilities; the Novi Sad warehouse is adjacent to the Danube River port, featuring bonded storage areas. These warehouses are all AEO certified by Serbian customs, enjoying clearance.
The intelligent warehouse management system supports Cyrillic interfaces. Serbian customers can manage inventory in real time through a localized platform, and the system can intelligently predict demand based on sales data, helping customers optimize supply chain management.
Professional Dual Customs Clearance Services
Tailored to the characteristics of China-Serbia trade, LHZTIR provides integrated dual customs clearance solutions:
On the Chinese export side, a Serbian market access database has been established, covering compliance requirements for over 2,000 types of goods. The professional team is proficient in Serbian technical standards and certification processes and can provide one-stop services such as CE certification and Serbian standard conformity assessment for machinery, electronics, and other products. For agricultural exports, complete health certificate and phytosanitary certificate processing services are provided.
On the Serbian import side, deep cooperation is established with well-known local customs clearance companies. The team is familiar with Serbian tariff policies, VAT systems, and free trade zone regulations. Particularly when handling sensitive goods such as food and cosmetics, complete registration and filing services are provided. Service data from 2023 shows that through professional customs clearance services, the average clearance time for customers is shortened to within 12 hours.
The company has developed an intelligent compliance management system that monitors trade policy changes between China and Serbia in real time, providing customers with timely regulatory updates and compliance advice.
Regular Operation System
LHZTIR has established a scientific and standardized operational management system:
The departure schedule follows a "4+3" model, with four fixed weekly departures from major Chinese industrial cities and three flexible departures to respond to market demand fluctuations. Specific arrangements are as follows: departures from Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Yiwu on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; departures from Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Zhengzhou on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; with emergency departures arranged on Sundays.
Transport routes are optimized and designed. The main route passes through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Hungary to Serbia, covering approximately 9,800 kilometers; the southern route passes through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Bulgaria to Serbia, covering approximately 10,200 kilometers. The intelligent dispatch system can automatically select the optimal route based on real-time conditions.
Vehicle configurations comply with EU standards. All transport vehicles are equipped with Euro 6 emission engines and advanced safety systems. The driver team undergoes professional training and is familiar with traffic regulations and customs in countries along the route.
Industry-Specific Customized Solutions
Tailored to different industry needs, LHZTIR provides professional transport services:
For the machinery and equipment industry, professional loading and unloading solutions and anti-rust treatment services are provided, equipped with special transport vehicles to ensure the safe transport of large equipment.
For the food industry, dedicated cold chain transport fleets are established with temperature control accuracy of ±0.5°C, complying with EU food transport standards, and multilingual label replacement services are provided.
For the fashion industry, a rapid response solution is launched, compressing transport time from Yiwu to Belgrade to 19 days, supporting flexible transport for small batches and multiple shipments.
The company also offers carbon footprint calculation and carbon neutralization services to help customers achieve sustainable development goals.
Digital Development Prospects
LHZTIR actively promotes digital transformation, planning to launch a blockchain document platform by the end of 2026 to achieve electronic and traceable transport documents; in 2026 it will test intelligent logistics systems in Serbia; simultaneously, it will establish cooperation with Belgrade Airport and Bar Port to build a multimodal transport logistics network.
From production bases in China to consumer markets in Serbia, LHZTIR is becoming an important link connecting the economies of the two countries. We sincerely invite Serbian enterprises to join hands in cooperation to explore new opportunities in China-Europe trade. Through our professional logistics services, let Serbian high-quality products enter the Chinese market more quickly, and let Chinese manufacturing serve Serbia's economic development more efficiently, achieving true mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.