China and Russia have started trial runs for a highway that promises to pave the way to smoother trade relations between the two nations. The highway will link China's port city of Dalian with Russia's third-largest city of Novosibirsk. The new route also implements a UN international transportation convention that makes customs clearance procedures quicker and easier. Xu Xinchen reports. 

It's Shi Junren's second time driving to Russia. Over the span of five days, he will cover over five-thousand kilometers on his truck.

SHI JUNREN, TRUCK DRIVER "We will be moving local goods — such as fruit from Dalian, to Russia, and then move Russian goods back."

Shi is among a select group of truck drivers that will be the first to use a new route linking China's Dalian with Russia's Novosibirsk.

LIU XIAOMING, VICE MINISTER, MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT "The 5,500-kilometer road transport route goes through 20 Chinese and Russian cities and borders. The route links the Asia Pacific and Europe, and it could help integrate the Belt and Road Initiative with Russia's Eurasian Economic Union."

ALEXEI DVOINYKH, RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT "The new route means that Russia and China have common views on the two countries' cooperation. The Russian people are looking forward to more goods from China — great opportunities for Chinese companies."

XU XINCHEN, DALIAN "Trade volume between China and Russia stood at around 80 billion US dollars last year — but the plan is to more than double that amount by 2020 to reach 200 billion a year. The new Dalian-Novosibirsk route is expected to help achieve that goal, but making it more time efficient is important. And the new route implements the United Nations' TIR system — which could cut custom clearance time up to 80 percent."

UMBERTO DE PRETTO, SECRETARY GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL ROAD TRANSPORT UNION "The goods will be inspected at the origin and only be inspected at the final destination. I mean it could go through all the different borders without stopping the truck, without having to open the truck. Because it is sealed at the origin and will only be inspected at the final destination. So it's a huge facilitation advantage."

Once the first batch of trucks arrives, authorities will assess the trip and make adjustments if needed, before the road is finally opened. The new route opens for doors for businesses, but there's also a human element. Quicker trips mean these drivers can get back to their families that much earlier.

Xu Xinchen, CGTN, Dalian, Liaoning Province.