Comment: One Belt, One Road the future for trade between east and west

China’s accession to the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR) convention in July has been hailed as a game-changer for international trading partners in Central Asia and Europe.

By signing the convention, the Beijing government aims to facilitate Chinese exports and support its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative.

Both these aims are positive for transport companies serving this vast region, but for the impact to be fully realised, further progress is needed.

There is little disagreement that China joining the TIR system will produce benefits. ...