In 2024, China: Since the beginning of this year, China-Europe freight trains have achieved remarkable results and the development momentum is gratifying

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian recently hosted a regular press conference.

A reporter asked: The first China-Europe freight train line from Heilongjiang in China to Tilburg in the Netherlands was successfully launched last week. Compared with sea transportation, it can save two-thirds of transportation time and is welcomed by enterprises. What's the spokesperson's comment on this?

Lin Jian: We noticed this good news. Since the beginning of this year, China-Europe freight trains have achieved remarkable results and have a promising development momentum. Data show that in the first two months, 2,928 trains were operated, and 377,000 TEUs of goods were sent, a year-on-year increase of 9% and 10% respectively. The quality and efficiency of existing train lines have been improved, new lines have been opened one after another, the goods list has been enriched, and new business formats such as "train + park" and "train + port" have continued to emerge, bringing more development opportunities to countries along the route.

In the more than ten years since its launch, China-Europe trains have created a new pattern of international transportation between Asia and Europe by virtue of their advantages of being green and low-carbon, safe and efficient, and smooth and convenient. They have built a new platform for economic and trade cooperation along the route and have become an important way of land transportation in international logistics. Together we will build an iconic brand for the Belt and Road Initiative. China-Europe trains have effectively improved the level of railway connectivity in the Eurasian continent and the development level of sea-rail, road-rail, air-rail and other multimodal transport, effectively ensured the stability of the production and supply chain, boosted regional economic growth, and become a "stabilizer" of trade between China and Europe and countries along the route. and development “accelerator”. This is a vivid manifestation of China's determination and actions to expand high-level opening up to the outside world, and is also China's positive contribution to global economic development.

We will work with countries along the route to promote the sustained and high-quality development of China-Europe freight trains, build a steel bridge connecting the Eurasian continent, and pave the way to common prosperity.