—— The glimmer of hope brought by the China-Europe Express has boosted the fragile supply chains of Eurasian countries and rescued Chinese and European companies.

——Although the price is slightly higher than that of ocean freight, the advantage of China-Europe Express is that the schedule is relatively stable. Depending on the specific origin and destination, the time from China to Europe is as short as 12 days.

——It is worth noting that when countries along the route coordinated to fight the coronavirus, life-saving medical supplies and raw materials were also shipped to Europe by freight trains.

——Since the first China-Europe Express train started from Chongqing in March 2011, it has opened more than 160 cities in 22 European countries.

Berlin, June 24 (Xinhua News Agency)-Although the COVID-19 outbreak has shut down Europeans for several months and affected the entire economy, some industries such as electronics companies have seen a surge in demand for home laptops and other gadgets Niche market.

Hong Lu, the local brand director of ASUS, a notebook computer manufacturer in Chongqing, southwestern China, has discovered such a niche and has witnessed a prosperous business in 2020. However, shortly afterwards, shortages of marine cargo, rising prices, and unpredictable shipping times pushed him to the edge of default.

The glimmer of hope brought by the China-Europe Express has boosted the fragile supply chains of Eurasian countries and rescued Chinese and European companies.

Lu's company hired about 1,000 containers last year to ship computers to the entire Eurasian continent through the China-Europe freight train service.

Although the price is slightly higher than that of ocean freight, the advantage of China-Europe Express is that the schedule is relatively stable. The time from China to Europe is as short as 12 days, depending on the specific departure and destination.

On January 1, 2021, a Sino-European freight train bound for Duisburg, Germany, is preparing to depart from Tuanjiecun Station in Chongqing, southwest China. (Xinhua News Agency/Tang Yi)

"Due to pandemic containment measures, sea transportation has been interrupted a lot...it is now difficult to obtain enough containers and prices are skyrocketing," Lu said.

The past year has been a difficult year for many operators such as land, because the fluctuation of air and sea freight capacity has caused shipping prices to soar.

Similarly, Chinese automaker Changan Ford has also switched to train routes, albeit in the opposite direction, to solve supply problems caused by the pandemic.

After the COVID-19 outbreak, the assembly line of Changan Automobile was almost suspended due to delays and interruptions in the transportation of auto supplies in Spain.

Changan Ford Logistics Director Zhuang Changbo said that the company urgently diverted its routes. It took about 20 days to reach Chongqing by freight trains in Duisburg, Germany. "Compared with sea transportation, it saves about 50 days."

According to data from the China National Railway Group, after setting an annual record of 12,406 trains in 2020, traffic through China Railway from January to March increased by 75% year-on-year to 3,398 trains.

In addition to auto parts, clothing, toys, and electronic products, some of the backlogs of airmail sent from China to Europe are also transferred to China Railway trains departing from Chinese cities such as Chongqing, Yiwu and Guangzhou.

It is worth noting that when countries along the route coordinated to fight the coronavirus, life-saving medical supplies and raw materials were also shipped to Europe via freight trains.

On June 23, 2020, after the China-Europe freight train loaded with medical supplies arrived in Paris, France, the representatives took a group photo. (Xinhua News Agency/Xu Yongchun)

Official data show that about 94,000 tons of anti-epidemic materials were transported through this route. Special trains transported surgical masks, medical gloves, water-soluble bags, non-contact gel dispensers and other materials to Malašević in Poland and those in Germany. Duisburg, Madrid in Spain and Paris in France.

Volker Chapke, honorary chairman of the German Prussian Association, called this train route a "green channel" to fight the pandemic, and pointed out that "If you remember, Europe is desperately experiencing the first wave of new coronary pneumonia. (Medical) shortages You can see it everywhere. Train routes are vital, they can save lives."

According to official data released on Sunday, there are more than 40,000 China-Europe freight trains with a value of more than 200 billion U.S. dollars.

Since the first China-Europe train started from Chongqing in March 2011, it has opened more than 160 cities in 22 European countries.

On May 9, 2020, a Sino-European freight train carrying anti-epidemic supplies was going to Belgrade, Serbia in Wuhan, Hubei Province, central China. (Xinhua News Agency/Xiao Yijiu)

Countries along the international freight routes are increasingly interested in cooperating to upgrade their logistics chains to speed up recovery after the epidemic.

Finnish Minister of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Wilskinari stated that compared with other modes of transportation, rail freight-which has much lower carbon emissions-has obvious sustainability advantages.

"For companies, it is important to be able to diversify their logistics chain, quickly add value and have alternative transportation methods. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, logistics chain risks are definitely a problem that many companies are more aware of," Kinnery said.

Earlier this month, a subsidiary of the Polish National Railway Company (PKP) launched a plan to connect Wroclaw, a major city in southwestern Poland, in order to expand its transportation connections. The gateway to Marasevich, and several Chinese cities including Chongqing.

Aerial photos show that on January 1, 2021, a China-Europe train bound for Duisburg, Germany, departed from Tuanjiecun Station in Chongqing, southwestern China. (Xinhua News Agency/Tang Yi)

Ivan Ruzbacky, President of PKP Cargo Connect, said that the new connection between Wroclaw and Chinese cities is another step in strengthening connectivity under the “Belt and Road” initiative.

The project provides "a unique opportunity to integrate into the global supply chain", he added, "This in turn translates into positive views of international customers and related development and expansion opportunities." (Video reporters: Zhang Haizhou, Zhao Xiaoshuai, Zhang Zhang , Li Xiaopeng; Video Editor: Liu Xiaorui)■