China Focus: China-Europe freight trains propel high-level opening up quest of inland regions

GANZHOU, Jiangxi, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- In land ports and at logistics hubs in cities such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan and Ganzhou, containers branded with "China-Europe freight train" can be easily spotted amid the vast sea of stacked containers.

These cities, located deep in China's inland regions, have become critical nodes within the expansive China-Europe freight train network, which now connects 227 cities in 25 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries, forging an unbroken trade link between Asia and Europe.

The departure of the 100,000th China-Europe freight train last week from southwestern China's Chongqing marked a significant achievement in this trade corridor's development. It underlined the importance of the service in accelerating the high-level opening up of China's inland regions and transforming once-remote areas into dynamic hubs of international trade.

GROWING OPPORTUNITIES

As a China-Europe freight train departed from Ganzhou in east China's Jiangxi Province on Tuesday, Liao Xiang watched with pride. Among the 55 containers onboard, three contained office furniture produced by his company, with these products destined for Hungary -- a new international market for his business.

Founded in 1995, Jiangxi Sanyou Furniture focused on the domestic market, with some initial overseas ventures in the Middle East.

"The launch of the China-Europe freight train service in Ganzhou, combined with the opening of the Ganzhou International Inland Port, has significantly reduced export costs," said Liao.

"Thanks to the convenience and efficiency of these services, we've been able to explore European markets," Liao added.

From January to October 2024 alone, Sanyou exported over 20 TEUs of office furniture worth over 5 million yuan (about 695,303 U.S. dollars).

The train that departed from Ganzhou was the 2,000th such service from Jiangxi, and carried a variety of goods, including daily necessities, lighting fixtures and machinery equipment.

To date, the China-Europe freight train service from Jiangxi has transported 220,000 TEUs and 5.2 million tonnes of goods, valued at over 8.4 billion U.S. dollars, according to the Nanchang branch of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

The service is benefiting not just furniture makers but also local enterprises in the timber, pottery, medical supplies and even frozen goods industries.

Wei Wei, a logistics official, highlighted the critical role these trains play in fostering economic cooperation between inland Chinese regions and the rest of the world -- particularly participating countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

CLOSER TO PUBLIC

For many Chinese consumers, the China-Europe freight train service is also making international products more accessible.

"This is my first time shopping at an imported goods bonded store facilitated by the China-Europe freight train. I was impressed by the wide variety of products and their attractive prices," said Niu Runfeng, a traveler from Xinyang, central China's Henan Province, who made a train transfer at Hankou station in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, before heading to Shanghai.

Niu purchased some Russian-made cookies, while his friend bought several cans of German beer at the store at Hankou station. "We trust the quality of the products."

The store, the first of its kind in Wuhan, has seen its daily sales reach around 100,000 yuan, said Li Wenyan, who is in charge of the store.

"We have imported more than 10,000 products from countries and regions along the China-Europe freight train routes, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Germany, Italy and Poland, and our product range features grains, cooking oil, alcohol and beverages, daily necessities, healthcare products and handicrafts," said Li.

The best-selling items in her store include snack foods from Southeast Asia and cosmetics from Europe.

In addition to the Hankou station store, there are about 60 similar stores that have opened across China, which can be found at train stations and in residential communities in cities such as Beijing, Zhengzhou, Nanchang, Xiamen, Ganzhou, Taiyuan and Yinchuan. These stores are part of broader efforts to leverage the China-Europe freight train service to foster economic exchange and improve consumer access to global goods.

"The China-Europe freight train (Wuhan) has become a crucial platform for Hubei's opening up, playing a key role in ensuring the stability of foreign trade channels and boosting the economic development of Hubei," said Wu Qiong, general manager of Wuhan Asia-Europe Logistics Co., Ltd.

"The service has driven the high-level opening up of China's inland regions and ensured the benefits of people in BRI participating countries and regions, demonstrating the initiative's core principle of achieving shared growth through consultation and collaboration," said Ding Yao, head of the Chongqing economic information center.