Prosperity, Speedway and Work Together for the Future —— A Review of the Ten Years of China-Europe Trains
Xinhua News Agency, Xi ‘an, September 18thTitle: Prosperity, Speedway and Work Together for the Future —— A Review of the Ten Years of China-Europe Trains
Xinhua news agency reporter
Xi ‘an International Port Station. Sound whistle, from time to time cut through the peace of the sky. On average, every hour and 40 minutes, a China-Europe train Chang ‘an leaves from here.
In the past 10 years, this steel dragon galloping across Eurasia has injected new impetus into the development of the world economy.
This is a prosperous train that has created a new pattern of international transportation between Asia and Europe: the annual operation volume of the China-Europe train Chang ‘an has increased from 46 to more than 4,600, and from a single line to an international trunk line has reached 17. From Qingdao to Horgos, from the bank of Alashankou to Mohan in the southwest, there are busy scenes everywhere.
This is a hope train that has built a new platform for economic and trade cooperation along the route: to support the "artery" of the international industrial chain supply chain with stable and efficient logistics services. A number of countries have been able to take the China development express train and get a better chance to integrate into the open world economy.
This is a happy train to enhance the well-being of people of all countries: the train has promoted the increasingly dense economic and cultural exchanges between countries along the route, profoundly rewritten the depth and breadth of exchanges between countries, and promoted the concept of building a community of human destiny to be more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Co-build the flagship project and iconic brand of the "Belt and Road"
It takes only 20 seconds to get off the assembly line from parts to packing. It only takes more than 10 days to take the CEIBS Changan to Germany …
On August 1st, 2014, the 100th China-Europe train in 2014 was ready to leave for Hamburg, Germany at Zhengzhou Putian Container Center Station. Xinhua News Agency reporter Xing Guangli photo
Chen Zhao, the general manager of Shaanxi Konka Smart Home Appliances Co., Ltd., felt a lot only two years after he settled in Xi ‘an International Port Area: "Last year, we sent nine special trains. Compared with shipping, the comprehensive cost of China-Europe trains is low and the transportation time is fast, which has narrowed the distance between enterprises and overseas markets."
On July 20, 2023, workers worked in the production workshop of Shaanxi Konka Smart Home Appliances Co., Ltd. located in Xi ‘an International Port Area. Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Bowen photo
Entering Xi ‘an International Port Station, the origin of the China-Europe train Chang ‘an, the containers are neatly packed and trains frequently enter and leave. Further away, there are many tower cranes in the Lingang industrial area derived from the China-Europe train.
The China-Europe train Chang ‘an, which was launched in November 2013, is the first China-Europe train in China after the "Belt and Road Initiative" was put forward. In the past 10 years, its core indicators such as operating volume, freight volume and heavy container rate have been steadily improved.
On November 28th, 2013, the first Chang ‘an international freight train from Xi ‘an to Almaty, Kazakhstan was waiting to leave. Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Yushe
Qi Chao, chief engineer of China-Europe train operation in Xi ‘an Bureau of China Railway, said that the China-Europe train Chang ‘an has opened 17 trunk routes from Xi ‘an to Asian and European countries, achieving full coverage of major goods sources in Asia and Europe. By the end of August this year, 3,477 trains had been opened.
Once a small station, it has grown into an international logistics hub. At present, Xi ‘an International Port Station covers an area of 5,600 mu and has the first inland automated unmanned wharf in China.
The convenience of trade channels has accelerated the rise of port-based economic clusters. Sun Yimin, secretary of the Party Working Committee and director of the Administrative Committee of Xi ‘an International Port Area, said that around the China-Europe train, a 17-square-kilometer advanced manufacturing area near the port has gradually taken shape, and more than 40 advanced manufacturing enterprises such as Huixin Communication and Jinghong Display have successively settled down.
The change of freight list reflects the effectiveness of China’s adherence to economic globalization.
"The goods exported by Chang ‘an have developed from’ big and stupid’ machinery and equipment 10 years ago to high-end products such as new energy vehicles and solar cells. The category of imported goods has been expanded to high value-added products such as automobile parts and components and red wine. " Yuan Xiaojun, general manager of Xi’ an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation Co., Ltd. said.
On April 23, 2023, the China-Europe train Changan Geely Automobile Export Train left Xi ‘an International Port Station (photo of drone). A total of 165 Geely cars "took" the China-Europe train in 55 containers to the Berelast station in Moscow, Russia. Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yibo photo
According to China State Railway Group Co.,Ltd. data, from January to July this year, China-Europe trains operated a total of 10,176 trains and delivered 1.104 million TEUs, up by 13% and 27% respectively year-on-year, and the "Iron Camel Team" was stable and far-reaching.
"Focus on interconnection and achieve mutual benefit and win-win. China-Europe trains have maintained stable and smooth operation, creating a new pattern of international transportation in Asia and Europe." Lu Shanbing, dean of the Silk Road Research Institute of Northwest University, said.
CEIBS has supported the "artery" of the global industrial chain supply chain with stable and efficient logistics services, and has become the flagship project and iconic brand for jointly building the "Belt and Road".
Share the historical opportunity of China big market.
Tall drying towers and modern press workshops … The agricultural products processing logistics park invested by Xi ‘an Aiju Grain and Oil Industry Group in North Kazakhstan is a prosperous scene.
On September 2, 2022, in North Kazakhstan, farmers who cooperated with Aiju Group were harvesting. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Ospanov)
Nearly 3000 kilometers away, Xi ‘an Aiju Grain and Oil Warehouse, flour and edible oil produced in Kazakhstan are being loaded and ready to be sold all over the country.
A series of China-Europe trains have brought the two important nodes on the Silk Road closer and closer.
In 2015, this company tried to "go out" and repeatedly hit a wall. "We ran 900 farmers in North Kazakhstan with 1,000 contracts, and finally signed less than 100 contracts." Jia Heyi, chairman of Xi ‘an Aiju Grain and Oil Industry Group, said that local farmers are not at ease with the seeds we provide, and they are more worried that they will not be sold.
This is the Aiju Agricultural Products Logistics Processing Park (photo of drone) filmed in North Kazakhstan on September 2, 2022. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Ospanov)
Cooperate with large local growers to operate experimental fields, and speak with yield and quality; Advance the deposit, and ensure the smooth sales with "order agriculture" … Eight years later, the enterprise has signed a cooperation agreement with more than 20 farmers in North Kazakhstan with a total of 1.5 million mu of land.
"China-Europe trains have sold agricultural products, and we also plan to increase the planting area of oil crops." Nordland Rakhimzhanov, a farmer in North Kazakhstan, said.
In the places where the Central European trains pass, more "seeds of hope" are growing. Shaanxi automobile heavy truck vehicles are exported to more than 110 countries and regions; The "Kazakhstan Wharf" project built by Kazakhstan National Railway Company in Xi ‘an is stepping up construction … Karabayev Zozihan, Consul General of Kazakhstan in Xi ‘an, said that the China-Europe train has opened the "sea port" for Kazakhstan.
Not just the Chang ‘an. According to the data, 86 China-Europe train lines with a speed of 120km/h have been paved in China, covering 112 cities in China Unicom, over 200 cities in 25 European countries and regions, and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries and regions along the line.
On March 23, 2023, the X8489 China-Europe train left Xi ‘an International Port Station for Selagino, Russia. Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yibo photo
The increasing number of China-Europe trains has built a new platform for economic and trade cooperation along the route, and more countries and regions can share the dividend of interconnection.
Asenbeck, an Uzbek businessman who participated in the 2023 Xi ‘an Silk Road International Tourism Expo not long ago, has a deep understanding of this: "The convenience of transportation makes people exchange more and more frequently. Many of my friends come to China to do business, and China has great market potential."
"Hard connectivity" inspires "heart connectivity"
After the China-Central Asia Summit in May this year, the six pomegranate trees jointly planted by the six heads of state became more and more lush. Pomegranate seeds from the western regions have been propagated in Chang ‘an for thousands of years and become auspicious things symbolizing unity and happiness.
Since the beginning of this year, a book "China Seeds: I Grow Wheat in Kazakhstan", which records the "China Seeds" spread overseas by China researchers, has touched many readers. Zhengmao Zhang, a researcher at Northwest A&F University, said that a number of new wheat varieties from China have been popularized in many places in Kazakhstan, and the maximum yield per mu is 60.51% higher than that of local varieties.
Nowadays, on the China-Europe train, tea in Shaanxi, medlar in Qinghai and coffee beans in Yunnan have successively entered European families; Turkish handmade carpets, German kitchenware and French red wine can quickly reach the consumers in China.
The China-Europe train Chang ‘an is loading and unloading containers at Xinzhu Station in Xi ‘an (photo taken on August 15, 2019). Xinhua News Agency reporter Shao Ruishe
In recent years, the opening pattern of China’s land and sea linkage and two-way mutual assistance between the East and the West has been continuously optimized. In the first half of this year, China’s trade in goods with countries that jointly built the Belt and Road Initiative was 6.89 trillion yuan, up 9.8% year-on-year …
Ma Lili, Dean of School of Economics and Management, Northwest University, said that China-Europe Banlie has explored a path of development with consensus, win-win cooperation and vitality, profoundly rewritten the breadth and depth of exchanges between countries, stimulated "heart-to-heart communication" with "hard connectivity" and made contributions to accelerating the construction of a community of human destiny.
On March 7 this year, the cultural train bound for North Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, started at Xi ‘an Railway Container Center Station. The intangible works such as shadow play and hand-cut carried by this "Friendship Class" are welcomed by local people in North Kazakhstan.
Shortly after the conclusion of the China-Central Asia Summit, the Datang West City Museum, which was built on the site of the West City in Chang ‘an, Tang Dynasty, received a precious gift from Kazakhstan. This gift, shaped like a corner of a golden and silver sheep, expresses good wishes and means that friendship will last forever.
Wang Bin, director of the Datang West City Museum, said that in recent years, the Datang West City Museum has established friendly museum relations with 24 museums in 18 countries that have jointly built the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2015, Shaanxi Shadow Show of Datang West City Museum entered Kazakhstan; In 2018, the national treasure cultural relic "Golden Man" exhibited by the Central National Museum of Kazakhstan in Datang West City Museum was once quite popular.
Diversified cooperation is still expanding: in April this year, the first Asian Cultural Heritage Protection Alliance Conference was held in Xi ‘an, and the Silk Road Archaeological Cooperation Research Center was officially unveiled; The Silk Road International Film Festival, held alternately in Shaanxi and Fujian provinces, has gradually become a brand, and the film has become a link to inherit the Silk Road spirit and carry forward the Silk Road culture …
Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, said that since the opening of the China-Europe train, it has effectively promoted economic and trade cooperation between countries and global economic development, and also promoted cultural exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations, paving a happy road for the benefit of all countries and the world.
The turn of the country lies in the people’s blind date, and the people’s blind date lies in the heart. Today, Jia Heyi feels more and more deeply about these two sentences: "When I first went to Kazakhstan, the local people made a clear distinction between’ you’ and’ we’. Now they say’ we’, and when they leave, everyone will hug for a long time. " (Reporter Shen Hongbing, Liu Shuyun, chenchen, Zhang Bin)