BEIJING, Dec. 22 -- A new port on the eastern Chinese coast will start trial operation on Dec. 28, poised to be a key bridgehead on the Silk Road economic belt.

The announcement was made by the local authority on Friday at a press conference.

The new Xuwei Port is located in the Xuwei New Area of the coastal city Lianyungang, Jiangsu province.

Its cargo thruput is expected to hit 100 million tons in three years and reach 200 million tons in 2020.

The Xuwei New Area is a pilot zone of the National Demonstration Area for Eastern, Central and Western Inter-regional Cooperation approved by China’s State Council.

The Xuwei port will help Lianyungang strengthen its role as a bridgehead of and provide better service to the Silk Road economic belt, local official said.

Lianyungang, one of the first batch of Chinese cities opening to the world, enjoys a unique geographical advantage on the Silk Road economic belt as a sea and land transport hub.

Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed that China and Central Asia join hands to build a Silk Road economic belt to boost their cooperation during his trip to Kazakhstan in September.

The Silk Road boasts a population of three billion and a market that is unparalleled in the world both in scale and potential.

Also, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang made a six-point proposal on deepening practical cooperation among the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries at the 12th SCO prime ministers' meeting last month.

Li proposed to simplify procedures for customs clearance, lower tariffs and eliminate trade barriers and to enhance cooperation in producing and processing agriculture and livestock products.

China is willing to provide logistics and warehouse service at Lianyungang, the east end of “the Eurasian Continental Bridge,” said Premier Li.

Lianyungang is now planning to deepen its cooperation with countries in central and western Asia along the Silk Road, enhancing its role as an outlet on the sea, according to local officials.