On May 6, 2024, with the sound of a whistle, the 75004th China-Europe freight train carrying 110 GAC Trumpchi vehicles departed from Guangzhou International Port Station and will pass through Manzhouli Port under the supervision of Guangzhou Station Customs. The journey out of the country to Europe is expected to take 15 days. This marks a new channel for the export of "Made in Guangdong" domestic automobiles.

Experts said that under the influence of various factors at home and abroad, the strategic value of China-Europe trains as a trade channel connecting Europe and Asia will be further highlighted and a new bridge for economic and trade cooperation will be built.

East Passage Traffic Volume Hits New High

On May 2, the latest China-Europe train, fully loaded with electronic products, mechanical and electrical products, daily necessities, etc., departed from Wuhan Wujiashan Station and departed from Alashankou bound for Europe.

Today, the number of China-Europe freight trains (Wuhan) is increasing year by year, from once a week a few years ago to an average of 1 to 2 times a day now.

The "East Corridor" of China-Europe freight trains has achieved a traffic volume of more than 2,000 trains at a faster speed. Data from China Railway Harbin Bureau Group Co., Ltd. shows that as of May 5, since 2024, a total of 2,000 trains have passed through the Manzhouli, Suifenhe, and Tongjiang railway ports of the China-Europe Express "East Corridor" and 210,000 TEUs of goods have been transported, a year-on-year increase respectively. 7% and 6%, achieving this goal 9 days earlier than last year, setting a record high for the same period in history.

At present, the China-Europe Railway Express "East Corridor" has reached 14 European countries, connected more than 60 domestic cities, and has 24 routes. The transported products cover 12 major categories such as electrical products, daily necessities, industrial machinery, and agricultural and sideline products.

Experts say that China-Europe freight trains have become the most effective trade channel and a new type of international logistics public product for international economic and trade cooperation along the Belt and Road Initiative. China-Europe freight trains have continued to innovate in recent years, opening up new land transportation channels in the Eurasian continent and building new bridges for economic and trade cooperation.

The variety of goods carried is increasingly rich

The radiation range of China-Europe freight trains continues to expand, and the transportation volume continues to grow strongly, showing a steady trend of quality and growth.

"Since 2024, the proportion of high-quality Pearl River Delta manufacturing products such as home appliances and electronic products among the export goods loaded on the China-Europe trains at Guangzhou International Port has increased significantly, and the operation of the trains has shown a steady trend of quality and increase." Chief of the Customs Supervision Section of Guangzhou Station Introduced by Xie Wanlin.

According to statistics, as of the end of April, Guangzhou Station Customs has supervised the operation of 68 export "premium trains" since 2024, accounting for approximately 48% of the total number of China-Europe trains in the same period, benefiting Midea, Changhong, Skyworth, Hisense, Hualing, TCL and many other well-known manufacturing brands in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, their goods involve LCD TVs, air conditioners, kitchen appliances and other categories.

Li Feng, manager of the Ruoluokou Sales Department of the Logistics Center of China Railway Wuhan Bureau Group Corporation, said that in the early days, China-Europe trains mainly transported some large equipment and did not involve people's livelihood areas. In recent years, China-Europe freight trains have been involved in people's livelihood areas. For example, the trains launched in recent years to transport cosmetics, clothing and other goods have met the French market's demand for people's livelihood products.

"The China-Europe freight trains have promoted two-way trade and economic and trade cooperation between China and European countries, and have become a new platform for China and Eurasian countries to complement each other's advantages and carry out two-way economic and trade cooperation." Wang, a second-level researcher at the Institute of Market Economics, Development Research Center of the State Council Micro representation.Editor/Zhao E