On the ancient Silk Road, camel bells echoed through the Gobi Desert, carrying porcelain, silk, and spices, composing a millennium long legend of the fusion of Eastern and Western civilizations. Nowadays, columns of steel dragons roar and gallop, replacing the camel caravan of the past, weaving a trade network that spans east and west on the Eurasian continent. The China Europe freight train, the "steel camel caravan" of this new era, is loaded with innovative achievements made in China and unique products from around the world, opening a new chapter of cross-border trade that is heading towards both directions.

Industry upgrade password in shopping list

In the shopping cart of the China Europe freight train, there is a two-way pulse between the optimization of China's foreign trade structure and the global consumer market.

On the trains departing from China, the "new three" - new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products - have become the main force of exports. With the advantage of green and low-carbon industries, they have sparked a wave of "Chinese intelligent manufacturing" in the European market; Laptops, smart home appliances and other white goods closely follow, winning the favor of overseas consumers with high cost-effectiveness and intelligent experience; Daily consumer goods such as car parts and furniture have also boarded this "fast train" to continuously meet the diverse needs of the European market.

The trains coming to China are also "full of goods", bringing a "feast on the tongue" and industrial needs across the Eurasian continent: high-quality milk from Germany, rich red wine from France, and silky chocolate from Russia, allowing domestic consumers to taste exotic flavors without leaving their homes; Beauty facial mask, exquisite music box and other daily necessities enrich the consumption choices of Chinese people; More importantly, the efficient delivery of industrial raw materials such as wood and flour has injected strong impetus into the development of related industries in China.

Enterprises and consumers share the benefits of trade

The efficient operation of the China Europe freight train has opened up a fast track for enterprises to go global and provided consumers with tangible cross-border consumption benefits.

For foreign trade enterprises, the opening of customized special trains has significantly reduced transportation and time costs. Chery, Jianghuai and other car companies have cumulatively operated over 1500 customized special trains. New energy vehicles use these trains to directly reach the European hinterland. Compared with traditional sea transportation, it not only shortens the transportation cycle, but also avoids many uncertainties in sea transportation, making the business card of "Made in China" increasingly prominent in overseas markets.

For domestic consumers, the China Europe freight train is the "global supermarket" at their doorstep. In Zhengzhou, the variety of imported goods in multiple supermarkets has exceeded 3000, and products such as German beer, Polish honey, and Spanish olive oil have achieved "same city, same quality, and same price". Citizens can easily purchase global goods without the long wait for overseas shopping.

The dividends on the industrial side are also significant. The furniture industry in Ganzhou is a typical representative of benefiting from the China Europe freight train. In the past, it took three months to import wood from Europe by sea, but now through the China Europe freight train, the transportation time has been reduced to 14 days, greatly improving the efficiency of raw material turnover. This efficiency improvement directly supports the local furniture industry cluster worth over 280 billion yuan, promoting the industry to upgrade towards scale and high-end.

The iron dragon gallops and connects the road of people to people communication

From the sound of camel bells on the ancient Silk Road to the rolling iron dragons of the new era, transportation and trade commodities are changing, but the original intention of interconnectivity between the East and the West has never changed.

The carriages of the China Europe freight train are not only loaded with a dazzling array of goods, but also with people to people connections across borders. When China's photovoltaic modules provide support for Europe's green energy transformation, when Germany's precision equipment helps upgrade China's manufacturing industry, when French red wine is served on the dining tables of Chinese people, and when China's new energy vehicles gallop on the streets of Europe, these two-way flowing goods have long surpassed the meaning of trade itself and become a bond to promote mutual understanding and enhance friendship among the peoples of Asia and Europe.

Although the camel bell is far away, the iron dragon is strong. The China Europe freight train, known as the "global shopping cart," continuously extends the radius of trade on the Eurasian continent and also brings people from various countries closer together. Under the grand blueprint of jointly building the "the Belt and Road", this steel caravan will continue to gallop, writing a new trade legend for building a community with a shared future for mankind.Editor/Bian Wenjun.Editor/Bian Wenjun