Imports, exports between China, Germany through Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe freight train route see annual average growth of 64.7 percent

A China-Europe freight train fully loaded with new energy vehicles, electric bikes and daily necessities departed from Yiwu city, a small commodity hub in east China's Zhejiang Province, for Duisburg in Germany on Nov. 4.

So far, the volume of imports and exports between China and Germany through the cargo route linking the city with Europe via northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has reached 16.59 billion yuan (about $2.3 billion), with an average annual growth of 64.7 percent, according to Yiwu Customs.

A Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe freight train departs from Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province on Aug. 16, 2022. (Photo/Xinhua)

The Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe freight train route has handled 1,287 freight trains between China and Germany, delivering 103,800 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of goods.

The first Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe freight train route, which connects Yiwu and Spain's Madrid, the largest small-commodity distribution center in Europe, and passes through German cities including Hamburg and Duisburg, was launched on Nov. 18, 2014. It is the longest train route in the world.

The number of freight train trips from Yiwu to Germany has been rising, with the transported items expanding from small commodities to solar panels, automobiles and parts, and intelligent devices.

To ensure the smooth operation of the China-Europe freight train service, Yiwu customs has taken measures to make customs clearance procedures smoother, reducing clearance times to 10 minutes.

"We will continue to promote the high-quality development of China-Europe freight trains, which have been dubbed 'steel camel fleets,' and deliver more and more Chinese products to the world," said Zhou Huawei, an official with Yiwu customs.