The first freight train linking Guangzhou, Tashkent, and Khorgos departs from Guangzhou on June 6. [Photo/Guangzhou Daily]

A freight train loaded with cargo from Guangzhou, Guangdong departed on June 6 to Tashkent, Uzbekistan via Khorgos, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, being the first of its kind heading to Central Asia from Guangzhou.

The train, charted by ZTE Corp, carried 90 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and 288.7 metric tons in overall cargo comprised of high value-added electronic communication products, such as mobile communication base stations, antennas, and micro-wave communication equipment.

The train is expected to arrive in Tashkent after 15 days, traveling around 7,000 kilometers.

Guangzhou has seen stable operation of the China-Europe freight trains since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as 22 freight trains have departed from Guangzhou, with an overall cargo value of 788 million yuan ($111.21 million).

Among them, 21 trains were heading overseas, carrying 1,890 TEUs and 9,187 tons of cargo, while one carried 82 pieces of imported cargo measuring 1,070 tons in 82 TEUs.

The operation company of Guangzhou's China-Europe freight trains has noted that a total of 100 trains will operate this year, mainly heading to areas including Russia, Europe, Central Asia, and South Asia.

A person in charge from Guangzhou Customs said that the customs would further increase the interconnection between freight trains and maritime trade channels to expand the area coverage of Guangzhou’s China-Europe freight trains.