Photo taken on September 19 shows a China-Europe freight train departing from Shenyang, Liaoning province. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By Staff Reporters

Yiwu, the city in east China's Zhejiang province, is home to the world's largest wholesale market for small commodities, which has seen robust growth over the years. On September 20, President Xi Jinping visited the Yiwu International Trade Market, where he learned about the operation of the market and the China-Europe freight trains. 

A major China-Europe freight train route links Yiwu, aka "the world's supermarket,” and Europe's largest small-commodity distribution center in Madrid, Spain. This year marks the 10th anniversary of both the launch of the first freight train via the Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe freight train route, known as Yixin'ou in Chinese, and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

Wider coverage 

In March 2011, the first China-Europe Express train departed from Chongqing. Since then, the China-Europe freight trains have become a highlight in the joint establishment of the BRI. 

By the end of the first half of 2023, more than 73,000 China-Europe freight trains had made the  trip, carrying 6.9 million TEUs of cargo. Departing from more than 100 domestic cities to 216 cities in 25 European countries, the "Iron camel caravans" have injected new life into world economic and trade exchanges. 

On July 29, the Yixin’ou route saw the 10,000th trip by China-Europe freight trains this year. The 10,000-trip mark was reached 22 days earlier than last year. At present, Yiwu has opened 18 international direct lines, reaching 101 overseas stations, and finding their way to more than 160 cities in more than 50 countries in Eurasia. 

Meanwhile, China Railway has strengthened the construction of China-Europe railway hubs. For example, the number of cargo handling lines at Xi 'an International Port have been increased from 19 to 29. It is also actively developing China-Europe freight train lines across the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. 

More efficient 

Compared with maritime transport, the efficiency of China-Europe freight trains has obvious advantages. China's railway authorities have optimized the working procedures, improved infrastructure, trained the staff and given priority to cargo transported by China-Europe freight trains. 

For example, the two-way route between Chengdu in China and Lodz in Poland has reduced the transit time of cargo by more than 5 days. Today, it takes around two weeks between Europe and China by train and what would previously sound unbelievable, is now the new normal.

China Railway continues to improve transportation capacity by completing a number of railway ports and rear railway access. For example, the Erenhot Railway port had its wide gauge train lines increased to 30, which when integrated with the new multiple function system, has improved operation efficiency. 

To further improve the information management of China-Europe freight train services, the railway authority has strengthened the construction of the information integration platform, and realized functions such as automatic information collection, planning management, cargo trains tracking, and automatic detection of safe loading. 

More diverse 

In recent years, the goods category and value delivered by China-Europe freight trains have increased year-by-year, and high value-added and high-tech products have shown a growth. 

In the past, China-Europe freight trains from Yiwu were used to transporting mainly small commodities, hardware, electrical appliances and mechanical equipment, but now the export structure has changed. Auto parts, photovoltaic products, smart home appliances and new energy vehicles are more frequently seen on the delivery list. 

According to data released by the General Administration of Customs, China's import and export volume rose 2.1 percent year-on-year to 20.1 trillion RMB in the first half of this year. Notably, export growth of electric vehicles, lithium batteries and solar cells reached 61.6 percent, driving China's overall export growth of 1.8 percentage points, and in the process becoming a new engine for trade. 

To meet different needs of customers, China-Europe freight trains now provide cold chain transport, which can quickly ship fruits such as lychee, longyan, banana, dragon fruit, and skincare products such as facial masks from Guangdong to Europe. 

In addition, the China-Europe freight trains also provide customized services. The China-Europe train that runs from Shanxi transports special products such as medicines from Datong, flanges from Xinzhou, ceramics from Shuozhou, glassware from Jinzhong and walnuts from Luliang to the rest of the world.