Russia: no additional restrictions on China-EU rail cargo transit 19/12/24
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Russia has no plans to introduce additional restrictions on China-EU rail cargo transit
Russia does not plan to introduce additional restrictions on China-EU traffic. At the same time, it aims to lift the existing bureaucratic hurdles on the transit of rail cargo on the route.
Previous reports, citing shippers, have focused on problems during cargo delivery from China to the EU region and the detention of such cargo by the Russian Customs Service amid suspicions of supplies of goods for military purposes.
Russian Customs deny everything
The Russian Customs Service has repeatedly denied the allegations of cargo detentions, insisting on the low number of such cases and their non-systematic origin. Representatives of the Customs Service have also been unable to confirm the reports of certain unofficial restrictions introduced on transit supplies via the Silk Route in mid-October.
In addition, according to official statistics from the Russian Ministry of Transport and RZD, transit deliveries of rail cargo from China to the EU via the territory of Russia may grow by 30-40 per cent for the entire 2024, compared to 2023, as rail traffic on this direction is increasing steadily. For 2024, the total deliveries are expected to reach up to 380,000-400,000 TEUs, substantially higher than in 2023.
A different story?
According to some analysts, the reason for possible detentions could be unofficial corporate circular letters and instructions issued by the Customs Service and other Russian state regulators to its staff to pay more attention to goods delivered to the EU via Russian territory within the context of Western sanctions.
Furthermore, as the cost of deliveries has significantly increased, some Russian analysts in the transport business believe that reports of systematic cargo detentions by Russian customs services could be a trick by some carriers to receive more for their services and compensation for possible idle time.
In any case, according to Polish media, due to China’s diplomatic efforts, Russia will lift all existing restrictions on the delivery of its permitted civil cargo via its territory and towards the EU.