File Photo: cnsphoto

China's outbound cross-border freight trains operated normally during the first half of 2023, with the cargo transport volume to Europe, Central Asia and Southeast Asia keeping a positive trend and supporting China's foreign trade.

The China-Europe freight train, named Chang'an, connects Xi'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province with Central Asia and Europe. It has run 2,619 trains from January to June 2023, up 46.2 percent year-on-year, Xi'an International Trade & Logistics Park, the operator of the freight train, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The volume of transported cargo also increased, reaching over 2.49 million tons, up 64.1 percent year-on-year. The number of trains to Central Europe reached 2,340, and the number of trains to Central Asia reached 279. A total of 497 trains ran in June, up 26.8 percent year-on-year.

As of now, the Chang'an freight train has reached 45 countries and regions in Eurasia via 17 cross-border railway routes, said the operator.

In Southwest China's Yunnan Province, the China-Laos Railway transported 9.62 million tons of cargo in the first half of 2023, up 94.7 percent year-on-year, with cross-border cargo volume reaching 2.3 million tons, up 210.8 percent, China News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Fresh fruit is one of the major cargo categories for the China-Laos Railway. Since a special inspection site for imported fruit was set up at Mohan Port in Yunnan in December 2022, over 40,000 tons of fruit have been imported via the railway, valued at 988 million yuan ($136.9 million), the Yunnan Economy Daily reported.

Global Times