China Europe Express Rail Reviving Silk Road Connectivity

• China Europe Express Rail Reviving Silk Road Connectivity

• China-Europe Express Rail fosters freight train business in Eurasia

• China-Europe Express Rail is a flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

• Expansion of China-Europe freight trains, and China-Laos railway is manifestation of China’s high-level opening to the outside world

By: Muhammad Arif, Editor NSN.Asia

Beijing: China-Europe freight train service set a new milestone on Friday as it departed for its 100,000th trip from southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality for Germany in the Europe.

The China-Europe rail network now connects 227 cities in 25 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries, a landmark moment for connectivity and cooperation between China and Europe under the “Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The China-Europe freight train service, dubbed “Belt and Road on rail”, has significantly enhanced connectivity between China and Eurasia since 2013, with over 10,000 trains reaching more than 10 European countries.

This rail network has proven to be a cost-effective alternative to air freight and a faster option than sea transport, playing a crucial role in stabilizing international logistics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Technological Advancements of China-Europe freight train services

A digital system has been implemented to promote comprehensive information sharing and enable paperless customs declarations, streamlining customs clearance procedures and improving overall efficiency.

• Expanding Global Cooperation through China-Europe freight train service

The China-Europe freight train service exemplifies the benefits of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, fostering an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world while building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Approximately 60 trains arriving on the China-Europe Railway Express reach Duisburg each week, with the goods subsequently transported to domestic seaports or neighboring countries in Europe.

• China-Europe Railway Express has injected vitality into Duisburg

Railway experts say the China-Europe Railway Express has injected vitality into Duisburg, a key transportation hub in the Ruhr region of Germany, and has opened up new development opportunities for the countries and cities along its route.

Duisburg port city of Germany is emerging as a pivotal hub for connectivity and trade between China and Europe, thanks to the China-Europe Railway Express project, which connects 120 Chinese cities with 219 cities across 25 European countries, said Bernd Noche, a professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany and head of the Department Transport Systems and Logistics, told Chinese media in a recent interview.

According to data from Duisport, the ownership and management company of the Port of Duisburg, connections between Chinese cities and Duisburg now take between 12 and 18 days for transportation.

The China-Europe Railway Express introduces a more balanced mode of transportation, the German professor said. “When we consider railway connections, this is now a unique mode of transport because it is faster than a ship, but lower price than by plane. So, it’s something in between,” he said, adding that there were a lot of goods suitable for rail transportation.

Noche also noted that the “Belt and Road Initiative” has great potential to form a “new Silk Road,” connecting different regions along the route which the China-Europe Railway Express runs.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), of which the China-Europe Express Rail is a flagship project, was proposed by China in 2013 and aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond.

A China-Europe freight train loaded with machinery, automobiles and auto parts waits for departure at a railway station in Chongqing, southwest China, March 7, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)

“We want to involve further countries, Kazakhstan, for instance, I think that’s the big chance,” Noche said.

Noche was equally encouraged to discover that many people in Kyrgyzstan had shown their interest in the “Belt and Road Initiative” and were willing to get involved in it, inputting their ideas and providing local goods.

Agricultural products made in Kazakhstan can now be quickly delivered to western Europe or China by train along the China-Europe railway, Noche said.

• BRI Boosts transportation and logistics industry of Eurasia

As an expert on the transportation and logistics industry, Niche has been researching potential development opportunities that the “Belt and Road Initiative” can bring to the countries that are involved in it.

He initiated a project named “Regional Sustainable New Silk Road Initiative” at the University of Duisburg-Essen in 2019 in a bid to explore the possibilities of supporting the development of companies in Duisburg and its neighboring areas, advancing cooperation, as well as promoting innovation and exchanges.

The first phase of the project, participated by 23 organizations, has been completed. Moving forward, Noche and his team are eager to seek more international partners to further propel the project forward, because he views the Belt and Road Initiative as an opportunity for “win-win cooperation and prosperity.”

Since the  construction of the “Belt and Road” in 2023, the cross-border trains are playing a pillar role in boosting trade for countries along the Silk Road route, from Xi’an in China to Duisburg in Germany

For example, China-Europe freight trains have operated more than 14,000 trains so far this year.

Another example is the China-Laos railway, which had dispatched a significant 8.51 million tons of goods as of October 3, ten months after its launch.

China and Thailand should accelerate the construction of the China-Thailand Railway and expand cooperation in emerging fields such as new energy, digital economy and artificial intelligence, Chinese President Xi Jinping while meeting with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on the sidelines of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Lima, Peru, Nov. 15, 2024.

The expansion of China-Europe freight trains, and China-Laos railway is also manifestation of China’s high-level opening to the outside world, and testament to the power of logistics into the power of trade and exchanges under the Silk Road Spirit of win-win cooperation.