At 9:10 am local time on December 3rd, the 100000th China Europe freight train X8083 departed from Chongqing, China, crossed the vast Eurasian continent, and successfully arrived in Duisburg, Germany. Electronic devices, automotive parts, household appliances, etc. from China will be distributed from Duisburg, an important inland transportation hub, to various parts of Europe. After more than 10 years of development, the China Europe freight train network has become increasingly dense, reaching 227 cities in 25 European countries and connecting over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries. It has shipped over 11 million TEUs of goods with a value of over 420 billion US dollars. The "iron and steel camel caravan" is a vivid practice of high-quality co construction of the "the Belt and Road", which not only creates a new pattern of international transportation in Asia and Europe, but also adds endless impetus to the development of the world economy. In October 2023, at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi Jinping announced China's eight actions to support high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. Among them, "accelerating the high-quality development of China EU regular trains" and "participating in the construction of the trans Caspian international transport corridor" are important measures to build the three-dimensional interconnection network of the "the Belt and Road". I still vividly remember the first China Europe freight train arriving in Duisburg in 2011 Marcus Bane, CEO of Duisburg Port Group, stated that President Xi Jinping's visit to Duisburg Port in March 2014 marked the entry of the China Europe freight train into the "fast lane" of development. For over 10 years, the cooperation between Duisburg Port Group and its Chinese partners has been fruitful, expanding beyond traditional logistics to include port construction, warehousing services, and other fields. Thanks to the China Europe freight train, Duisburg, an industrial city, has been revitalized and has become an important hub for railways, highways, waterways, and one of Europe's major freight centers, attracting over 100 logistics and trade enterprises to settle in. The expansion and prosperity of stations have driven employment growth, creating over 20000 job opportunities in the logistics industry alone. Chang Haitao, the acting general manager of China in Dusseldorf, stated that the China Europe freight train provides an affordable and efficient all-weather logistics solution for Asia Europe trade, bringing high-quality and affordable Chinese goods to thousands of households in Europe, and attracting a large number of e-commerce enterprises to settle in cities such as Duisburg, effectively driving the industrial transformation and economic and social development of cities along the route. With the joint efforts of all parties, the level of connectivity among countries along the China Europe freight train has significantly improved, the diversified development of channels has steadily advanced, and the freight train service network basically covers the entire Asia Europe region. The China Europe freight train has ushered in a golden age, "according to a recent report by Germany's Kongstofer Economic Information Network. The article states that 2024 is a bumper year for railway transportation. Due to the continuous increase in sea freight costs, international railway freight, especially the China Europe freight train, is gaining more market share. Taking the Trans Caspian International Transport Corridor connecting China, Central Asia, and Europe as an example, the freight volume of this route increased by 65% year-on-year in the first half of this year. The German Trans Eurasian Company located in Duisburg has benefited greatly from the high-quality development of the China Europe freight train. CEO Marcel Stein stated that compared to 2023, the frequency of train operations has increased and freight volume has continued to rise this year. With the coverage of more European cities and customers by the China Europe freight train, the transportation efficiency and stability of the train continue to be optimized, and the trust of customers in the company has effectively increased, resulting in significant growth in the company's business. Stein said. Through consultation and joint construction, mutual benefit and win-win situation - "it is a huge development opportunity for many enterprises". The Danube Radar Town is located in the border area of Slovakia adjacent to Austria and Hungary, and a multimodal transport station under the German Hamburg Port and Logistics AG subsidiary Mettron is located here. Even in the darkness, cranes can still be seen shuttling back and forth in this all-weather freight yard, and the spotlights of the gantry crane flicker from time to time. In 2020, the transportation volume of Metlong via the China Europe freight train was 30000 TEUs, and this number will increase to 40000 in 2023. I believe that the freight volume will continue to grow in the future Martin Kubeck, Business Director of Metlong's China Europe freight train, told our reporter that in order to meet the growth needs of Eurasian logistics business, the company is building two new freight stations in Hungary. "The development potential of China Europe freight trains is huge, and I am full of confidence in it." Nowadays, the product supply of China Europe freight trains is increasingly optimized, and service capabilities are constantly improving and upgrading. Under the promotion of China Railway Group Corporation, the China Europe freight train operates 17 trains per week, including routes from Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Yiwu, Wuhan, Guangzhou to Duisburg, Łó d ź, Poland, Warsaw, and others. Due to the stable expectation of transportation efficiency, the competitiveness of China Europe freight trains in the international freight market has significantly increased, attracting a large number of high value-added goods sources. Peter Smigiella, Business Director of Poland's Global Logistics Agency, shared a little story with reporters about the "fast" operation of the China Europe freight train. Once, a customer's container was transported from China to Poland via the China Europe freight train in just 10 days. After receiving the notification, he told me that the transportation speed was too fast and his cargo clearance form had not been prepared yet. A few years ago, the company felt the transportation advantage of the China Europe freight train and established a dedicated railway transportation department. In recent years, the rapid development of the company's business has left Smigiella feeling deeply impressed. "The China Europe freight train is an excellent choice for transportation solutions in the Eurasian continent, and it is a huge development opportunity for many enterprises. Nowadays, more and more customers come to consult and purchase services, which leaves us overwhelmed. From the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, from the Danube River to the Rhine River, more and more carriers, logistics service providers, and transportation platform enterprises are seizing the opportunity of high-quality development of the China Europe freight train, actively participating in the construction of cross Asia Europe logistics and transportation networks, combining the construction of transit stations and branch lines with their own development, and achieving service quality and efficiency through joint consultation and construction. At the same time, numerous new logistics, industrial, commercial centers, and industrial parks have emerged, providing a large number of employment opportunities for local people. The Road to Happiness, the Road to Prosperity - "has played an important role in driving the economic development of countries along the route." The China Europe Express provides high-quality services to jointly build the "the Belt and Road", promote the relevant countries and regions to better integrate into the open world economy, improve the connectivity level of the Eurasian continent, and increasingly become the "road to happiness" for the benefit of people of all countries and the "road to prosperity" for the benefit of the world. In 2023, the number of containers transported by the Nert Group from Asian countries such as China increased by 20%, with an annual revenue growth of 8%, reaching 1.4 billion euros Ivan Milicevic, the Multimodal Transport Business Director of Serbia's Nert Group, told reporters that in recent years, Nert Group has actively participated in the operation of China Europe freight trains, committed to logistics industry innovation and digital transformation. Milicevic believes that the construction of the Trans Caspian International Transport Corridor will further consolidate Serbia's position as an important link connecting Asia and Europe. To adapt to the continuous increase in transportation corridor business, the Nert Group has invested 100 million euros to expand production capacity, optimize logistics, and implement automation transformation at its Dobanovtsi logistics center located in western Belgrade. "Naite Group will seize the high-quality development opportunity of China Europe Express, provide customers in Southeast Europe with complete end-to-end supply chain solutions, and support the continuous development of high-quality co construction of the the Belt and Road in the Balkans," Milicevic said. The China Europe freight train has opened up a new channel for European producers and traders to enter the Chinese market, and more and more goods from countries along the route are taking the China Europe freight train to enter the Chinese market. The longest route we operate is the 'Yixin Europe' route from Yiwu, China to Madrid, Spain, with a travel distance of over 13000 kilometers, "J ö rgen Huschka, Executive Director of the Euro Asia region of Swiss based international transportation company British Rail Transit, told our reporter. British Rail Transit has offices in Beijing and Shanghai, China, and maintains close cooperation with the starting cities of China Europe freight trains such as Wuhan, Yiwu, and Chongqing." Working hand in hand with Chinese partners for development, I am very confident in future business growth. The multimodal transport mode of the China Europe freight train has also enhanced the elasticity of the supply chain and promoted the coordinated development of regional industrial chains. The German BMW Group transports key components to its factory in Shenyang, China through the China Europe freight train, and returns finished cars to the European market through the train, achieving an efficient closed-loop of the industrial chain. Porsche, Audi and other well-known European car companies also transport European made finished cars and components to China through the China Europe freight train, promoting efficient collaboration in cross-border supply chains. The China Europe freight train has played an important role in driving the economic development of countries along the route, "said Hannes Ferner, director of the Austrian Institute for China and Southeast Asia Studies. In the current challenge to global logistics and supply chain stability, the China Europe freight train has played a" stabilizer "role and has broad prospects for future development. (New Society)