A freight train departs from Yiwu West Railway Station in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)
BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- A China-Europe freight train departed from Yiwu West Railway Station in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province on July 29 for Madrid, Spain, marking the 10,000th trip of China-Europe freight trains this year.
The trains have transported over 1.08 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) this year, with a year-on-year increase of 27 percent.
Industry insiders believe that the steady increase in the number of China-Europe freight trains and shipments has released a positive signal for foreign trade, showing the resilience of China's economy.
-- Steady increase in the number of trains
Loaded with 110 TEUs of various goods such as accessories, automotive parts and photovoltaic modules, the 10,000th train is an epitome of the increasing variety and value of goods transported by China-Europe freight trains in recent years.
Since its inception in March 2011, the China-Europe freight trains have made 73,000 trips and transported more than 6.9 million TEUs of goods. Connecting over 100 cities in China with 216 cities in 25 European countries, China-Europe freight trains have injected continuous vitality into world's economic and trade exchanges.
"The total value of shipments by the 'Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe' freight trains has been on the rise for nine consecutive years, reaching 18.42 billion yuan in the first half of 2023, up 19.5 percent," said Ye Qiuran, vice president of Yiwu Tianmeng Industrial Investment Co., Ltd., the operator of the freight train service.
-- Strong demand for cross-border shipment
China's foreign trade has made steady progress, and there is a strong demand for cross-border shipment after the pandemic. Boasting the advantages of all-weather operation, large capacity, green and low-carbon, as well as smooth and safe service, the China-Europe freight trains are favored by customers along the route, according to the head of freight department of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway).
"Geely has been shipping whole vehicles to major markets through China-Europe freight trains from its manufacturing bases near southwest China's Chengdu and Chongqing, northwest China's Xi'an, etc. The shipping volume has been on a steady year-on-year increase since the beginning of 2023," said Lin Yongming, a manager with a logistics company based in east China's Zhejiang Province.
To ensure the stable and smooth operation of China-Europe freight trains, China Railway continues strengthening the transportation capacity, completing a batch of projects including railway ports and passages. At the same time, efforts are being made in the construction of China-Europe freight train hubs, aiming to create a transportation service network that extends in multiple directions and connects the land and the sea.
"At present, the service network of China-Europe freight trains basically covers the entire Eurasian continent, enhancing China's economic and trade ties with the Belt and Road countries, and deepening international cooperation on industrial capacity," said the head of freight department of China Railway.
-- Introduction of multiple measures to ensure stable and smooth operation
China-Europe freight trains have made 10,000 trips this year, indicating robust trade growth, closer economic and trade ties and improvement of trading structures between China and the Belt and Road countries, said Ni Yueju, a researcher at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Data showed that in the first half of this year, China's total import and export of goods reached 20.1 trillion yuan, an increase of 2.1 percent year-on-year, exceeding the threshold of 20 trillion yuan for the first time in history during the same period. Among them, China's foreign trade with countries along the Belt and Road increased 9.8 percent year on year.
"We must adhere to the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits to ensure stable and smooth operation of China-Europe freight trains," said the head of freight department of China Railway, adding that the Group will further strengthen international railway cooperation and make greater contributions to the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. (Edited by Yang Linlin with Xinhua Silk Road, 15036033666@163.com)
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