Auto & Transportation

According to data from China National Railway Group Co., Ltd., in the first quarter of this year, China Europe trains operated a total of 4186 and transported 449000 TEUs, with year-on-year growth of 15% and 28% respectively. Among them, the China Europe Express opened 1488 trains and transported 162000 TEUs in March, with year-on-year growth of 31% and 52% respectively. Since May 2020, more than a thousand trains have been operated in a single month for 35 consecutive months.

The continuous development of the China Europe train reflects the vitality of China's vigorous economic development and the determination to open up to the outside world at a high level. In the first quarter of this year, China's import and export of international trade to countries along the "the Belt and Road" increased by 16.8% year on year. In the future, China EU regular trains will provide more opportunities for cooperation for countries along the route, and the "the Belt and Road" will inject new vitality into world economic growth—— Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning

Recently, the Jinhot Highway and Railway Logistics Port located in Urad Houqi, Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia is bustling. On one side, the "Urad Houqi" China Europe freight train returning from Kazakhstan is repackaging oil sunflower seeds imported from abroad, while on the other side, two China Europe freight trains loaded with high-quality Bayannur sunflower seeds are honking their horns from the Urad Houqi Industrial Park and heading for Moscow, Russia.

It is worth noting that such "connectivity" is a fruitful result of China Europe international trade and economic cooperation.

Mao Ning, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said earlier that the accelerated development of the China EU regular train has become an important trade line connecting Asia and Europe and a major artery for the construction of the "the Belt and Road".

China Europe Trade Accelerator

Since the opening of the first "Urat Rear Banner" China Europe freight train on January 12 last year, a total of 40 trains have been dispatched, creating an international trade import and export volume of 70 million US dollars. At present, Urad Back Banner has become the main place for China Europe regular trains in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, making a strong contribution to building an important bridgehead for opening up to the north.

Recently, Langfang City, Hebei Province officially opened the China Europe (Central Asia) train (Langfang Tashkent). According to reports, the first container train in operation is 55 cars, which starts from Langfang North Railway Freight Yard, leaves the country through Khorgos Port, passes through Kazakhstan, and finally arrives in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The whole journey is about 6000 kilometers, and the expected operation time is about 15 days. The total weight of goods is more than 1400 tons, mainly including insulation pipes, mechanical equipment, profiles, etc.

At Khorgos Railway Station in Xinjiang, China Europe trains from Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi'an and other major cities in China converge here. There are nine huge gantry cranes distributed on the three railway lines here. The crane transfers the containers carried by the train to a wide gauge train suitable for Kazakhstan's shape, connects them to the front of the train, and the train starts again, heading west all the way.

According to relevant data, Khorgos has become the most frequent outbound port for China EU trains for four consecutive years. From January to April this year, there were 2485 China Europe (Central Asia) regular trains passing through Khorgos railway port, up 14.8% year on year. The daily average number of regular trains was more than 20, and they were loaded with daily necessities, clothes, toys, and auto parts to Central Asia and European countries.

As the "Eastern Route Channel" of China Europe Express, the Manchuria Railway Port has operated a total of 1580 China Europe Express trains and transported 6.659 million tons of goods this year as of 8:00 am on May 7th.

Experts say that the continuous trains of Mercedes Benz between China and Europe have built a new bridge for world connectivity. At present, China EU trains have reached 200 cities in 24 European countries, becoming an important achievement of the "the Belt and Road" construction, and also an "accelerator" to smooth China EU international trade.

Run out of 'acceleration'

In 2023, it has been 12 years since the opening of the first China Europe train in March 2011. According to relevant data, compared to sea and air transportation, the transportation price of China Europe freight trains is 1/5 of that of air transportation, and the operating time is 1/4 of that of sea transportation. At the same time, China Europe freight trains can better meet the requirements of green, low-carbon, and environmentally friendly transportation in Europe. In the past year or two, China Europe Express has actively cooperated with sea and air freight, launching efficient new modes of transportation such as multimodal transportation, in order to reduce intermediate links, shorten transportation time, and provide faster and better cross-border consumption logistics experiences for Chinese and European consumers.

The "China Europe Express Development Report (2021)" released by the National Development and Reform Commission shows that in 2021, China's international trade imports and exports to 24 countries connected by China Europe Express reached 6.88 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 19.7%, of which exports to 24 countries reached 4.29 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 21.7%. In the first half of 2022, China's import and export with 24 countries reached 3.45 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.3%. In terms of proportion, the import and export value of China and 24 countries accounted for approximately 17.4% of the total import and export value of foreign trade during the same period.

Experts say that the China Europe train has turned "congestion" into "connectivity". The railway department has made every effort to ensure that the China Europe trains depart on time and have cleared transportation congestion points. In order to smooth the transportation channels for enterprises, China Europe Express has launched a wide gauge "three in two" transportation, and implemented a "centralized and consolidated" mixed loading mode for domestic and foreign trade goods, which has reduced logistics costs by 5-10% and effectively alleviated train congestion.

At the same time, the China Europe Express continues to add new stations and routes, promoting the formation of a network pattern of "smooth and efficient, multi-directional extension, and sea land connectivity". Policy communication, facility connectivity, smooth trade, financial integration, and people-to-people connectivity, and the China Europe train is the "lifeline" that connects Asia Europe trade.

Industry insiders say that for Chinese cross-border e-commerce sellers, the intuitive convenience of the China Europe Express not only lies in the addition of an additional transportation option, but also in the facilitation measures jointly launched by the two sides based on the deepening cooperation of the China Europe Express, which greatly helps sellers solve the problems of low efficiency and cumbersome procedures during customs clearance (including domestic customs declaration and destination country clearance), Let the trade between China and Europe accelerate.

Injecting 'New Vitality'

Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei recently stated that in 2022, China's trade volume with the European Union reached $847.3 billion, a year-on-year increase of 2.4%, which means that the average trade volume between China and the EU exceeds $1.6 million per minute.

Data shows that by the end of 2022, the cumulative number of China Europe freight trains has exceeded 65000, transporting over 6 million TEUs of goods, with a value of 300 billion US dollars. 82 routes have been opened and operated, basically forming a fully covered transportation and logistics network for the Asia Europe region. This has effectively opened up cross-border trade barriers, activated the potential for regional economic development, and has become a "steel camel caravan" for the Asia Europe continent to gather consensus and vitality.

Experts believe that the China Europe train highlights the new vitality of China's economic development. The China Europe Express, with its convenient, fast, safe, stable, and green economy cross-border logistics services, has made significant contributions to the smooth flow of the international industrial and supply chain, as well as providing a large number of employment opportunities and practical convenience for the people of countries along the route. The China Europe Express continues to expand new business and add new routes, injecting a "booster" into the development of the national economy.

At the same time, the China Europe Express has played an important role in stabilizing trade with countries along the route. Overseas goods have entered millions of households in China, and "Made in China" has been sent abroad. The diverse shopping choices have doubled people's sense of happiness and gain. The operation of the China Europe Express has also given birth to many new logistics, industrial, commercial centers, and industrial parks. The number of goods traveling between China and Europe through the China Europe Express continues to increase. On the premise of win-win situation, the China Europe Express, with its advantages in road network, closely connects the Eurasian continent and builds a "bridge" connecting China and Europe.

Industry insiders say that the China Europe Express connects the world economy with cargo transportation, supporting the "main artery" of the supply chain between China and Europe, and promoting the economic development of cities along the route. The China Europe Express connects directly across oceans and seas, running a mutually beneficial and win-win "acceleration", conveying the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, which is based on mutual assistance and solidarity.