China-Europe Freight Train Urumqi Realignment Center in Xinjiang. Photo: Xiong Xinyi/GT

The Urumqi International Land Port Area, located in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has been playing a vital role in constructing the region as a core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt while contributing to the development of China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

The land port with a planned area of 67 square kilometers is an important hub connect-ing the two economic belts of Asia and Europe as well as the closest logistics hub of the China Railway Express to Europe (Urumqi) route to Central and Western Asia and Eu-rope.

In the first eight months of 2023, the number of China-Europe freight train trips rose 5 percent to 10,575, according to official data. A total of 1,026 trips were made from Xinjiang through the China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains, with 887 trains departing from the Urumqi International Land Port Area during the period, the Global Times learned.

Among the 887 made trips, around 810 trips were bound for Central Asia with the rest trains heading to destinations across Europe, a representative from the land port told the Global Times on Friday.

China-Europe Freight Train Urumqi Realignment Center in Xinjiang. Photo: Xiong Xinyi/GT

Local cargos from Xinjiang are typically steel, PVC, and agricultural products, the representative said, adding that the trains also deliver domestic cargos transported from the rest of the country such as home appliances and clothing.

The major destinations across Europe include Germany and Italy with Holland being the furthest destination, she noted.

More than 7,300 China-Europe freight trips were made by trains departing from the Urumqi International Land Port Area, with 21 routes reaching 19 countries and 26 cities.

Total trade of Xinjiang from January to August reached 219.19 billion yuan ($30.02 billion), recording a year-on-year increase of 51.2 percent. Exports reached 184.71 billion yuan while the imports topped 34.48 billion yuan, data showed.

Global Times