Xuwei Port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, an important part of the Silk Road economic belt, will become operational on Saturday.

President Xi Jinping proposed in September that China and Central Asia build the Silk Road economic belt to improve joint cooperation.

Local authorities say 18.4 billion yuan ($3 billion) has been invested in setting up the port. Its throughput will surpass 100 million metric tons in three years, reaching 200 million tons by 2020.