A Comparative Analysis of Strategic Values of Four Silk-Road International Transport Corridors Based on a Fuzzy Integral Method with Comprehensive Weights

Table 1

Comparative metrics of T1, T2, T3, and T4.

Routes	Name	Shipment distance (km)	Shipment time (day)	Border Clearance efficiency①	Cost (USD/40 ft)②	Transport infrastructure③	The exit region	Corridor form
CPIT	T1	7500	11④	37	4125	54.36	Xinjiang	Railway
CMR	T2	7300	10⑤	33	4105	46.6	Nei Mongol	Railway
BCIM	T3	2623	4⑥	41	955⑦	54.25	Yunnan	Railway + waterway
CSEG	T4	14591	21⑧	53	1400⑨	70.46	Shanghai	Sea lane

①Data source: index 7.07 of “Global Competition Report 2019” from World Economic Forum. The countries along each route take the average after summarizing, and the higher scores indicate the higher efficiency of border clearance. ②Data source: China Ministry of Commerce, “Yuxinou’s freight rate dropped to sea level,” http://www.mofcom.gov.cn/article/resume/n/201505/20150500961358.html, accessed on Feb. 20, 2020. Assuming that T1 and T2 will be high-speed rail channels in the future, the unit price of the Yuxinou high-speed rail in this article is USD 0.55/km/40 ft. Therefore, according to the distance, the costs of T1 and T2 are, respectively, estimated as USD 4125/40 ft and USD 4105/40 ft. ③Data source: average weighting of indexes 1.01–1.04 of “Global Competition Report 2019” from World Economic Forum. The countries along each route take the average after summarizing, and the higher scores indicate the higher connectivity of transport infrastructure. ④We assume that T1 is planned as high-speed rail channel, and the train speed and customs clearance time are similar to those of Yuxinou (11000 km, 15 days), the estimated transport time of T1 is 7500/11000 × 15 = 10.2 days, and the estimated transport time is 11 days. ⑤The same as above, 7300/11000 × 15 = 9.95 days, the estimated transportation time of T2 is about 10 days. ⑥Because T3 selects the “railway + waterway” intermodal transportation route, the estimated transportation time is divided into two sections, that is, the railway section is the same as Yuxinou’s standard. The waterway transport section is estimated based on T4 as the reference value, 1549/11000 × 15 + 1074/14591 × 21 = 3.65 days, the valuation is 4 days. ⑦The same as above, the transportation costs of T3 are estimated in two sections, that is, the railway section is estimated based on Yuxinou’s standard, and the waterway section is estimated based on the T4. 1549 × 0.55 + 1074/14591 × 1400 = USD 955/40 ft. ⑧This data is calculated based on the Cosco Shipping Group’s operating routes on this channel, which is calculated by tracking its regular routes in the trans-Pacific-Indian Ocean route (Asia-Europe).⑨ Data source: “the shipping cost from Shanghai to Piraeus Port is USD1 400/40 ft,” http://www.daili56.com/hyunfeix/?9-2070.html, accessed on Feb. 20, 2020.