Henan-KL air cargo link ups bilateral trade

Crates of Musang King durians from Malaysian orchards land at an airport in Zhengzhou, Henan province, just five hours after they are picked. At the customs inspection channel, a 20-minute check clears them for same-day delivery to local stores, marking a remarkably short journey from tree to shelf.

This efficient "freshness relay" spanning 3,000 kilometers via the Zhengzhou-Kuala Lumpur air cargo link has become a prime example of Henan's accelerating efforts to expand global connectivity. The 10th plenary session of the 11th Henan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, held on Friday and Saturday, set out a road map for further opening-up in the province.

The session called for continuous efforts to expand domestic and international opening-up and to position Henan as a strategic pivot in the dual-circulation development paradigm, according to the Party's communique.

Key tasks include integrating into national major strategies, aligning with high-standard international economic and trade rules, upgrading open platforms, fostering innovation-driven trade, and attracting more foreign investment — all aimed at building a broader, deeper open economy, it said.

Liu Ning, Henan Party secretary, detailed the province's multidirectional opening-up strategy in a signed article recently published by the Study Times.

He emphasized strengthening links northward with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, integrating eastward into the Yangtze River Delta, connecting southward with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and expanding westward along the New Eurasian Land Bridge, one of the six major corridors envisioned by the Belt and Road Initiative.

Liu also called for deeper engagement in the Belt and Road Initiative through coordinated development of the "air, land, digital, and maritime silk roads", with the goal of elevating Henan's role as an inland open corridor.

The bustling Zhengzhou-Kuala Lumpur air cargo route is a concrete example of that effort. With economic output exceeding 6 trillion yuan ($848 billion) and a market of nearly 100 million people, Henan has rapidly expanded its aviation capacity. The Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport now operates 62 dedicated freight routes via 33 cargo airlines, connecting 66 cities in 31 countries and regions.

Choosing Kuala Lumpur as a partner hub is strategic. Its location in Southeast Asia provides access to an ASEAN market of more than 600 million people and serves as a major logistics node within the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, framework.

A cooperation memorandum signed in June 2024 established Henan's first overseas cargo station in Kuala Lumpur dedicated to the RCEP region, accelerating dual-hub cooperation.

"We are leveraging the Zhengzhou — Kuala Lumpur dual-hub framework to strengthen civil aviation exchanges and deepen airlogistics cooperation between the two regions," said Zhang Mingchao, Party secretary and chairman of Zhongyu Aviation Group.

Since its launch in August 2024, the Kuala Lumpur — Zhengzhou fruit charter service has expanded from one to seven flights per week, carrying about 30 metric tons of Southeast Asian specialty products per flight, with total cargo volume reaching 14,000 tons.

Two-way trade between Henan and Malaysia surpassed 16 billion yuan in 2024, up 7.1 percent year-on-year. Henan companies are establishing supply centers in Malaysia, while consumer brands such as Mixue Bingcheng have expanded there, creating thousands of local jobs. More than 70 Malaysian companies have invested in Henan, covering industries ranging from food processing to machinery.