HUANGPU SHANGHAI

A photo shows containers being loaded onto a China-Europe freight train, Nov 2, 2022. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 600th China-Europe freight train from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area this year — this one loaded with 100 containers of goods — departed on Wednesday from a logistics zone in the Zengcheng district of Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The train will pass through Horgos Port in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, according to Guangzhou Railway Group.

The number of China-Europe trains departing from the Greater Bay Area has reached a historic high this year, with a growth of 287 trains, or an increase of 85 percent year-on-year, helping deliver 356,800 tons of industrial and supply chain materials, according to the railway group.

In October alone, the number of such trains leaving from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan for Europe increased by 25 percent year-on-year, the company said.

"Products made in China with high quality and competitive prices have become the choice for European consumers because of multiple factors, including inflation and increased production costs in Europe," said Ning Zan, deputy director of the Guangzhou Freight Center.

The China-Europe trains have generally maintained safe and stable operation and showed a remarkable risk-resistant ability, effectively ensuring smooth transportation of production and living materials to countries and regions along the route, Ning added.

Additionally, trains from the Greater Bay Area have delivered 112,000 tons of epidemic prevention materials — masks, protective suits and disinfection gloves — to Europe, making an important contribution to the global efforts in prevention and control of COVID-19.

Export-oriented companies in Guangdong have been facing new opportunities and challenges, as online shopping demand from overseas consumers continues to grow amid the global pandemic, Ning said.

Li Guangtao, director of the sales business department of Midea Electric Appliance Co (Dongguan) said, "Specially customized freight trains have helped provide a stable transportation channel for household appliances to the European market."