The first China-Europe freight train from the Yangtze River Delta region to Hungary departing from Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang Province for Budapest on June 7, 2021. Photo: VCG

The China-Europe freight train had transported cargo worth over $300 billion by the end of 2022, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FM) said on Thursday, boosting economy vitality in Eurasia under the China proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

FM spokesperson Mao Ning said during a regular press conference on Thursday that over 65,000 China-Europe freight trains have transported more than 6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 200 cities in 24 European countries.

"Since the BRI was put forward 10 years ago, the China-Europe Railway Express has become an important trade route across the Eurasian continent and an artery of BRI cooperation. It is a steel caravan that could catalyze consensus and galvanize vitality across the Eurasian continent," said Mao.

In the first quarter of 2023, foreign trade between China and countries along the BRI saw a year-on-year increase of 16.8 percent. Mao noted that the China-Europe freight train will bring more cooperation opportunities to BRI countries and also shows China's commitment to high-level opening-up.

Global Times