BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- A new China-Europe freight train service between Zhengzhou, a transport hub in central China's Henan Province, and Russia has been launched recently, according to Zhengzhou International Hub Development and Construction Co., Ltd (ZIH).
The first train on this new route that departures from Moscow, the capital of Russia will arrive in Zhengzhou in a few days, which will mark another significant step forward for the freight train railway in building Zhengzhou a comprehensive international logistics channel.
So far, freight trains starting from Zhengzhou have reached seven destinations in countries of Germany, Belgium, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, via six ports such as Alashankou and Horgos in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Erenhot and Manzhouli in north China's Inner Mongolia, Suifenhe in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, and Pingxiang City in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. They have had access to the logistics service networks in Europe, Central Asia, ASEAN and Asia Pacific.
The bilateral trade between China and Russia has flourished in recent years, and China has been Russia's largest trading partner for nine consecutive years, with its annual trade volume exceeding 100 billion U.S. dollars.
Meanwhile, the import and export trade between Russia and Henan has been multiplying, by importing goods of food and beverage from Russia, and exporting commodities such as machines and electronic products from Zhengzhou to Russia.
The launch of the freight route connecting Zhengzhou and Russia marks a vital measure to integrate Henan into the Belt and Road (B&R) construction, according to a manager at ZIH, adding that the new route will facilitate the development of Zhengzhou international logistics hub.
Zhengzhou launched its first China-Europe freight train on 18th July, 2013. The city saw 539 freight trains in the first half of 2019, up 90.5 percent year-on-year, transporting a total of 230,000 tonnes of goods with a value of 10.79 billion yuan, according to local customs. (Edited by Jiang Feifan)
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