China-Europe freight trains see surging deliveries

China-Europe freight train routes have seen surging deliveries this year, solidifying their role as efficient international logistics channels across the Eurasian continent.

A China-Europe freight train bound for Kazakhstan prepares for departure at Xi'an International Port in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Aug. 11, 2021. This is the 10000th China-Europe freight train departed from Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Bin)

China’s imports and exports with Belt and Road countries registered 209.78 billion yuan (about $32.3 billion) in terms of railway transport in the first half of the year, up 43.1 percent year-on-year, data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed.

A train loaded with 100 TEUs of cargo, including wireless headphones, Christmas products, and daily necessities, departed from China’s small commodity hub Yiwu for Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, on Aug. 16. It was the 867th China-Europe freight train passing through the cities since Jan. 1.

The total import and export value of goods handled by the freight train route linking Yiwu and Europe hit 26.71 billion yuan in the first seven months, up 130.7 percent year-on-year, surpassing last year’s total value five months ahead of schedule, according to statistics released by Hangzhou Customs in east China’s Zhejiang province. The city’s customs authority has given priority to China-Europe freight trains for inspection and clearance, offering 24/7 reservation services to improve clearance efficiency.

Between January and June this year, China-Europe freight trains made 330 trips and sent out 27,000 TEUs of goods, up 66.7 percent and 104.5 percent year-on-year, respectively, from a multimodal transport center at the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s local economic and trade cooperation demonstration zone in Qingdao, east China’s Shandong province.

China-Europe freight trains have shown great advantages and have become a pillar force in stabilizing trade between China and Belt and Road countries, said GAC spokesperson Li Kuiwen.

The trains, with their unique strengths in safety and stable operations, have safeguarded smooth logistics flows during the pandemic, Li added.