Chinese FTZ commissions chartered freight train to Belarus

CHANGSHA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A chartered freight train on Thursday left Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, destined for Minsk, capital of Belarus. It is loaded with goods manufactured in a free trade zone (FTZ) in Hunan.

The chartered train is carrying 100 containers of goods including communication equipment, construction machinery, household appliances and food. It is the first train to exclusively serve exporters based in the Hunan FTZ.

The cargo weighs a total of 710 tonnes and is worth 4.38 million U.S. dollars. On Changsha's existing China-Europe freight train route, the chartered train will leave China via the Manzhouli port to arrive in Minsk in 17 days.

The FTZ in Hunan was among China's three new pilot FTZs launched in September 2020 to promote further opening-up and high-quality development.

The Changsha area of the FTZ in Hunan now hosts 3,295 enterprises, with 73 percent newly opened in the first half of this year.

According to the Chinese machinery equipment maker Zoomlion, based in Hunan, exporters in the FTZ have strong demand for international logistics. The chartered train has helped them deliver goods ordered by foreign customers on time while reducing warehousing costs.

Liang Jingbo, deputy general manager of the Hunan Central South China International Land Port Co., Ltd., said that as of Aug. 22, Changsha has logged 579 China-Europe freight train trips since the start of this year, ensuring the stability of foreign trade and supply chain logistics.

Changsha has launched more than 10 China-Europe freight train routes, linking nearly 30 cities in 13 countries.