Trains are seen during a train drivers' strike at the rail yard of Frankfurt central station in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 23, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua)

 

A China-Europe freight train bound for Duisburg of Germany pulls out of the Wuhan terminal of China Railway Intermodal in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 28, 2020.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

Staff members pose for photos with the first "Shanghai Express" in Hamburg, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2021(Photo: Xinhua)

 
Deutsche Bahn's subsidiary DB Cargo established a new company to strengthen rail freight transport between China and Europe, the German state-owned rail operator announced on Friday.

"Climate-friendly and reliable goods transport by rail is becoming increasingly important for global supply chains," Deutsche Bahn noted. That is why demand along the Belt and Road, the rail route between Europe and China, is booming.

With the establishment of DB Cargo Transasia in Shanghai, Europe's largest freight railroad provider is "considerably strengthening" its services in the Far East, connecting 18 European countries, Deutsche Bahn noted.

Chinese customers could be offered a variety of services from DB Cargo Transasia instead of having to contract multiple service providers as in the past, according to Deutsche Bahn.

The German rail operator already opened several new routes between China and Europe this year, most recently the connection between Shanghai and Hamburg at the end of September.

Last year, DB Cargo transported around 200,000 containers back and forth between Asia and Europe. By 2025, Deutsche Bahn was aiming to more than double the annual capacity to 500,000 containers.

According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), goods worth 213.2 billion euros (240 billion U.S. dollars) were traded between Germany and China in 2020. Including exports and imports, China remained Germany's most important trading partner.