A total of 165 Chery automobiles are fully packed and ready to go. [Photo by Su Yongsheng for chinadaily.com.cn]

At the Qisumu International Logistics Park in Ulaanqab, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, 165 Chery automobiles were loaded into containers. They were set to embark on a China-Europe freight train journey to cross Mongolia and arrive at the Russian capital, Moscow this week.

"The regular operation of our car export special train has significantly expanded our market and greatly increased the recognition of domestic automotive products," said Zhang Lei, manager of the Railway Logistics Center of the Ulaanqab Foreign Economic and Trade Co

From January to late September, Ulaanqab has operated 97 China-Europe freight trains, carrying cargo valued at $170 million, including automobiles, home appliances and machinery equipment.

The staff at the Qisumu International Logistics Park checks the data of packed vehicles and containers in September. [Photo by Su Yongsheng for chinadaily.com.cn]

With its unique geographical advantage, Ulaanqab has become the sole non-provincial capital railway hub city for China-Europe freight trains. Over eight-year operation, it has opened eight regular routes, connecting to seven countries and 16 cities, including Moscow in Russia, Minsk in Belarus and Almaty in Kazakhstan. This has injected significant momentum into global economic development.

Xu Guodong, deputy director of the Ulaanqab Commerce Bureau, said that they plan to make the city a distribution center and further open up in order to promote the Belt and Road Initiative in the future.