The Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe rail transport service – launched in 2014 – continues to thrive and it has become another powerful example of how Belt and Road cooperation can bring shared prosperity to China and Europe through enhanced connectivity.
The cargo train service links Yiwu city – the world's largest wholesale market for small consumer goods, located in East China's Zhejiang province – with the European commodities center of Madrid by way of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
The service made its maiden journey on Nov 18, 2014 and expanded quickly in the years to follow.
The past seven years saw the opening of 18 routes which connected more than 160 cities in 50 countries including Russia, France and the UK, according to the operator.
As of Oct 31, a total of 4,149 trips had been made cumulatively along the line from Yiwu to Europe. The trains carried 340,218 TEUs or twenty-foot equivalent units – the standard measurement of containers – containing goods with an export value of 81.7 billion yuan ($12.79 billion).
The number of Yiwu-bound freight trains totaled 963, loaded with 78,966 TEUs of imports valued at 14.43 billion yuan.
The freight trains take Zhejiang-made daily necessities to European consumers, while coming back with wine, sunflower seed oil and auto parts on their return journeys.
There are also special train services customized for companies and county-level cities.
