A total of 220 containers carrying 1,500 tons of corn were transported from Hunchun in Northeast China's Jilin province to the Port of Zarubino in Russia on May 11 and will be shipped to the Qingdao port in East China's Shandong province, according to local reports.

Officials said this marked the maiden trip of the new Hunchun-Zarubino-Qingdao freight route, another cross-border transportation channel for domestically traded goods after the Hunchun-Zarubino-Ningbo freight route.

They said the ship will transport 220 containers of copper concentration powder from Shandong to Hunchun in early June.

The new route has broadened the trade business scope of Jilin province and has also brought new opportunities for Hunchun's companies. It allows more economic trade between Jilin and Shandong, reducing the transport costs, according to a spokesman of the Hunchun Hongli shipping company.

To ensure smooth logistics and improve transportation efficiency, Hunchun customs has established close contacts with customs in Zarubino and Qingdao, for more streamlined customs clearances, inspections and other procedures.

Jilin and Shandong are, respectively, a national commodity grain base and an agricultural product deep processing base.

A customs official said the new route will greatly expand economic and trade exchanges between the two places and will greatly help promote the comprehensive revitalization of Jilin province.