19.09.2023
“Heyin” column of the People’s Daily newspaper
The trains, running along China-Europe international rail freight routes, are the flagship and landmark project of the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. Within a few years, this transportation channel has entered a period of high-quality development and has become a new international transportation system, characterized by convenience, speed, safety, stability, environmental friendliness and relatively low cost.
The advantages of China-Europe trains are obvious: they cover a wide area, have a large traffic volume, low cost compared to air transport and short delivery time compared to sea transport.
Over 10 years, a total of 77 thousand such trains were sent, connecting China with 217 cities in 25 European countries, which significantly increased the level of transport interconnectivity in Eurasia.
China-Europe trains promote mutually beneficial cooperation between Eurasian countries. Thanks to the launch of these vehicles, quality European goods appear on Chinese store shelves much faster. In addition, important transit points and logistics centers on routes such as Duisburg in Germany, Tilburg in the Netherlands and Malaszewicze in Poland have received new development opportunities.
Over 10 years, China-Europe trains transported 7.31 million containers worth more than 340 billion US dollars, effectively stimulating international trade and economic cooperation, as well as promoting economic growth and improving people’s well-being. The integration of rail freight between China and Europe with cross-border e-commerce and logistics platforms has led to the formation of new industrial clusters and has helped inland cities along the routes expand their openness to the outside world.
Richard Griffiths, an economic history expert at the International Institute of Asian Studies in the Netherlands, noted that the China-Europe route is a transcontinental transport route across Eurasia and an important driver of economic development, significantly promoting economic integration and having an economic impact.
China-Europe routes have opened a new land transport corridor, which reliably ensures the stability of international production and supply chains. In recent years, the demand for cross-border transport on China-Europe railway lines has been very high. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, amid the partial disruption of global sea and air cargo transportation, there has been an increase in the number of China-Europe trains operating safely and steadily, which has opened a vital transport artery for countries to combat the epidemic.
China-Europe train connections with markets, programs, platforms and projects are constantly being strengthened, resulting in a steadily increasing level of transport connectivity. At the China-Europe International Freight Train Service Cooperation Forum held recently in Lianyungang, east China’s Jiangsu Province, 48 agreements were reached, including the launch of an online China-Europe freight train portal, the publication of train schedules and the introduction of electronic waybills. for multimodal transport on China-Europe routes. All this will contribute to the high-quality development of China-Europe trains and allow all parties to better take advantage of the opportunities offered by the operation of these trains.
The world is currently experiencing profound, accelerating changes, the global economic recovery remains weak, and instability and uncertainty are multiplying. Under these conditions, China-Europe trains, the number of which has been steadily increasing, have become a “stabilizer” and “accelerator” of trade between China and Europe, as well as countries along the routes, and have made a positive contribution to the recovery of the global economy.
According to Olaf Krueger, head of the German International Rail Freight Association, China-Europe trains, while of great importance for stimulating infrastructural development and improving transport networks along the routes, not only deepen trade between China and Europe, but also further advance the process of economic globalization. These high-efficiency vehicles open up new opportunities for businesses along the routes, boosting the prosperity of ports and transport and logistics hubs. Without a doubt, China-Europe trains bring benefits to the people of all countries of the world.
China-Europe trains are a clear indication of the sustainable development of the Belt and Road Initiative, which has been joined by more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations over the past ten years. The high-quality implementation of this initiative promotes mutually beneficial cooperation and joint development of participating countries, making an important contribution to global progress.
Moreover, China-Europe trains are an important tool for strengthening connectivity and win-win cooperation between China and countries along the Belt and Road. In this way, they will continue to promote cooperation between different countries, stimulate economic development and help create a bright future for the Belt and Road Initiative.
China will continue to work with various parties to uphold the spirit of the Silk Road – peace, cooperation, openness, mutual learning and borrowing, mutual benefit and win- win, uphold the principles of joint consultation, joint construction and sharing of results, and promote higher quality, more efficient and safe development of China-Europe trains. This will make it possible to make an even greater new contribution to stimulating global economic growth, improving the well-being of the people of all countries and forming a community with a common destiny for humanity.
Source: “People’s Daily” online http://www.people.com.cn/
