At 10:00 a.m. on August 25th, the Yanka Port Area of Jingzhou Port was bustling with people. As the "Huahang Hanya 1" ship slowly departed from the dock, the international direct shipping route from Jingzhou Port to Japan and South Korea was officially launched. This moment not only marks a milestone in the development of water transport in Jingzhou and even Hubei Province, but also creates a new history of direct shipping from inland ports in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River to Japan and South Korea. It signifies that Jingzhou has bid farewell to the "inland river era" and entered a new development stage of "connecting rivers to the sea".

Wang Yuancheng, Secretary of the CPC Jingzhou Municipal Committee, attended the event and announced the departure. Li Yingwei, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Jingzhou Municipal Committee and Mayor of Jingzhou, attended and delivered a speech. Zhao Jirong, Political Commissar of Hubei Entry-Exit Border Inspection General Station, and Chen Huarong, First-level Inspector of Hubei Provincial Department of Commerce, also attended the event. In their speeches, the leaders clearly stated that as an important inland river hub in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the launch of this direct shipping route at the Yanka Port Area of Jingzhou Port is not only a concrete practice of implementing the Yangtze River Economic Belt Development Strategy, but also a key breakthrough for Hubei to open up a new international channel of the "Maritime Silk Road", which is of far-reaching significance for the regional opening-up and development.

At the ceremony site, the "Huahang Hanya 1" ship, loaded with goods, attracted special attention. The ship was loaded with export commodities such as chemicals, home appliances and food from Jingzhou, Yichang, Jingmen and other places. It will sail eastward directly to Busan Port in South Korea, and then call at three major ports in Japan, namely Moji, Osaka and Nagoya. It is estimated that after the opening of this route, the transportation time for goods from Jingzhou and surrounding areas to Japan and South Korea will be shortened by 7 days, and the comprehensive logistics cost is expected to be reduced by 40%, which will greatly enhance the market competitiveness of local foreign trade enterprises.

Footway Foreign Trade Comprehensive Service Center, as a core force in the field of local foreign trade services in Jingzhou, was invited to participate in the maiden voyage ceremony. In the future, with the stable operation of this international route, new momentum will be injected into regional economic development. Footway will also continue to deepen its presence in the foreign trade service track, work hand in hand with many foreign trade enterprises, jointly seize the new opportunities brought by the opening of the route, and contribute to the high-quality development of local foreign trade.