China Europe Express Paves a New Route for the "the Belt and Road" - Perspective of China's High Quality Development Highlights (6)

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 23, Title: China Europe Train Paves a New Route of "the Belt and Road" - Perspective of China's High Quality Development Highlights (6)

Xinhua News Agency reporters Fan Xi, Ding Yiquan, and Zhou Yuan

On July 29th at 10:18 am, the 10000th China Europe freight train in China this year started: the X8020 China Europe freight train, loaded with 110 standard boxes of export goods, departed from Yiwu West Station with a whistle and flew towards Madrid, Spain.

On the ancient Eurasian continent, the "Steel Camel Team" continues to write the story of the Silk Road. From January to July this year, China Europe freight trains operated a total of 10176 trains and sent 1.104 million TEUs of goods, an increase of 13% and 27% year-on-year, respectively.

After years of exploration and development, China Europe Express has entered the high-quality development track, becoming a convenient, safe, stable and green economic new mode of international transport organization, as well as a vivid practice of China's participation in global open cooperation and high-quality joint construction of the "the Belt and Road".

Across Asia and Europe, the network continues to extend

In the Urumqi International Land Port Area, locomotives shuttle and work non-stop: at the multimodal transportation center, front mounted cranes pick up containers labeled "Made in China"; At the China Europe freight train assembly center, trains of China Europe freight trains have completed their repackaging and are waiting for shipment

Starting from the China Europe freight train assembly center, take the China Europe freight train and travel west along the ancient Silk Road. It takes 2 days to arrive in Kazakhstan, 8 days to arrive in Russia, and 16 days to arrive in the Netherlands.

According to data from China National Railway Group Co., Ltd., there are 86 China Europe freight train lines with a speed of 120 kilometers per hour, connecting 112 cities in China, reaching over 200 cities in 25 European countries and regions, and more than 100 cities in 11 Asian countries and regions along the line.

On July 2, a batch of auto parts from Rayong Province, Thailand, were transported by the China Laos Railway International Freight Train. They entered Yunnan from Mohan Port on the border between China and Laos, headed north, arrived in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, and transferred to China Europe Express. They arrived in Budapest, Hungary after passing Kazakhstan, Poland and other countries.

This is the first transit freight train in the mode of "China Laos Railway+China Europe Express". "The logistics time from Luo Yong to Budapest can be shortened to 15 days at the fastest, which is more than 15 to 20 days longer than traditional sea transportation," said Li Jiye, Director of the Marketing Planning Department of the Freight Acceptance Service Center of China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd.

With the opening of the "Lancang Mekong Chengdu Europe Express Line", the China Laos Railway and the China Europe Train have been connected, forming a new channel across South Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Improving both quantity and quality, supporting the rapid development of the industry

On August 18th, a China Europe freight train loaded with clothing, mechanical equipment, hardware accessories, digital products, and other goods departed from Ganzhou International Land Port and headed towards Manzhouli Port, destination Russia.

According to Luo Yongfeng, Director of the Ganzhou International Land Port Management Committee, relying on the platform advantages of Ganzhou International Land Port, companies such as Gree Electric Appliances, Nature Home Furnishings, and Meike Home Furnishings have settled in Nankang District, Ganzhou City. Companies such as Maersk, Dafei, COSCO Shipping, and a large number of foreign trade supporting service enterprises have competed to settle in, making Ganzhou International Land Port gradually grow into a hub port, logistics port, and trade port, winning opportunities in serving and integrating into the new development pattern.

The local Nankang furniture industry cluster has achieved rapid development, with the output value increasing from 10 billion yuan before the construction of the port to 250 billion yuan in 2022. "With the China Europe freight train, more and more furniture factories are entering cross-border business," said Shen Fei, Chairman of Jiangxi Jiayou Children's Furniture Co., Ltd. "After the opening of Ganzhou International Land Port, the proportion of foreign trade in the company's business has increased to 70%."

Xi'an, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, is also a clear hub and gathering center for the construction and development plan of the China Europe freight train.

Entering Xi'an International Port Station, gantry cranes are handling and loading containers one by one. The China Europe freight train Chang'an will depart from here, transporting goods gathered from various parts of China to more than 10 countries and regions in Asia and Europe.

"From heavy trucks and vehicles to German kitchenware, Dutch milk powder, and agricultural and sideline products such as flour and honey from Central Asia, the China Europe freight train Chang'an has become a 'golden channel' for trade between countries along the Silk Road," said Sun Yimin, Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Management Committee of Xi'an International Port Area.

Last year, Konka Group established the largest intelligent home appliance production base in the northwest region of Xi'an. Chen Zhao, General Manager of Shaanxi Kangjia Intelligent Home Appliance Co., Ltd., said that the China Europe freight train, which has fast transportation time, wide route radiation, and higher stability, is an important reason for enterprises to choose to settle in Xi'an. "This year, Konka Group plans to export 1 billion yuan of white goods annually, half of which will be transported by China Europe freight trains."

The integration of air and ground, with increasingly prominent radiation effects

At the Sany Group Intelligent Chemical Plant located in the Liangjiang New Area of Chongqing, with robotic arms dancing and large automated material transportation vehicles shuttling, a large excavator can be taken offline in about 17 minutes. "We chose Chongqing because it can not only expand the Central Asian and European markets to the west through the China Europe freight train, but also expand the Southeast Asian and South Asian markets to the south through the western land sea new channel, and also take into account the domestic market through the Yangtze River golden waterway," said the factory manager.

"Compared with other land port hub cities, Chongqing's biggest advantage lies in its ability to achieve a 'free combination' of multiple international logistics channels, including water, land, and air, to meet the different needs of enterprises." said Li Jing, Vice President of Chongqing University of Commerce and Executive Deputy Director of the Yangtze River Upstream Economic Research Center.

In the hinterland of the Central Plains, the China Europe freight train radiates to more than 40 countries and 140 cities overseas; Zhengzhou Airport has formed an international hub route network spanning the three major economic regions of Europe, America, and Asia, covering major economies around the world; The first comprehensive cargo distribution center for air rail intermodal transportation in China, Zhengzhou Airport Station High speed Rail Logistics Center, has been delivered and operated... With a new model of "logistics+industry", Zhengzhou is cultivating new economic growth poles.

"The logistics industry, as a tertiary industry connecting production and consumption, is an important support for building supply chains, extending industrial chains, and enhancing value chains," said Li Yumin, President of Henan Logistics Society and Vice Dean of Zhengzhou University School of Management.

The China Europe freight train not only connects China with Europe and countries along the route, but also connects East Asian countries such as South Korea and Japan, as well as Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore and Thailand through coastal port sea rail intermodal transportation, the western land sea new channel, and the Yangtze River golden waterway; Through the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea rail intermodal transportation, and Rhine River rail intermodal transportation, it connects the UK, Nordic countries, Mediterranean coastal countries, and the hinterland of the European continent, basically covering the entire Eurasian continent, forming a "smooth, efficient, multi-directional extension, and land sea interconnection" channel pattern.