Any railway buff cannot be anything but hugely impressed by China's railway arts
 It is impossible for anyone who knows something about railways not to be astonished with the results of China's virtuoso performance in that field over the last 40 years.
Even before the creation of China-Europe line, China possessed the engineering marvels of the world. Chinese domestic rail service put puny western efforts in this field far behind.
Travelling from Wuhan to Hong Kong overnight in 2003, one soared over trestle bridges crossing steep mountain valleys only to bore through a 10 minute tunnel on the other side, then to shoot over another trestle-spanning a breath-taking chasm and bore through another mountain. All this was built in 1997.
That was the year Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping died, but it was as though his death never occurred because Deng's spirit lived on for decades in the leaders who followed him.
His "opening up" of China is what brought on the enormous strides since that led to China becoming the second largest economy in the world.
But there were troubles too. At the turn of the century there was widespread dissatisfaction that too much prosperity accrued to the coastal provinces and too little to the interior.
This prompted the birth of the China’s Western Development Strategy (WDS) that had been carried out since 1999, whereby Western China experienced a rapid and stable development during the past two decades.
The jewel in this crowning achievement of was the railway, later augmented by Chinese president Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative which addressed needed infrastructure.
The experience was not always smooth. At first, and for some time, Germany's Siemens electronics filled up most of the boxes west bound, but the backhaul saw lean times, and profitability was not discussed. What's more the Railways Minister Liu Zhijun was sentenced to death (later commuted) in 2013 for fraud, not mention another Chongqing party boss and police chief were also jailed for corruption.
Despite teething troubles, the railway grew and grew from and impressive rail line crossing into Khorgos in Kazakhstan where it had to change rail guages.
But what made the difference to the railway's fate was conception. Rather than seeing it as a Chongqin, China-Duisburg, Germany rail link, these points were increasingly seen an collection and dispersal points for containerised goods from all parts of China and Europe.
There were technical difficulties from the start. China and Europe share a narrow rail gauge while Russia and former Soviet republics, Kazakhstan and Belarus use the broad gauge. The latest point of origin announced was Vietnam.
The Russo-Ukraine war has blocked the Russian and Belarus passage, and while Duisburg in Germany has ceased to be the new Chicago of Europe, collecting and dispersing rail freight to and from Manchester, Munich to Madrid. But today freight travels to and from the Balkans, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, across the Caspian Sea to Kazakstan and all points China thereafter.
As it is an ill wind that blows no one good, one may also note that Yemen's Houthi insurgents by threatening shipping in the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea, has induced containerships to circumnavigate Africa via the Cape of Good Hope. This encourages more European and Asian shippers to use rail freight to and from China.
"The China-Europe freight train service enables more high-quality Chinese products to reach overseas markets faster and at lower transportation costs, while also creating a new gateway for foreign businesses to enter the Chinese market," said Zhang Xiaolong from Chongqing's Yuxinou Logistics.
"With the continuous improvement in international rail freight efficiency, the China-Europe freight train service is poised for significant growth, offering vast potential and promising prospects for the future," said Mr Zhang.
Over the past 13 years, the service has transported over 11 million TEU, valued at more than US$420 billion.
Its operational efficiency has significantly improved, with the time needed to complete 10,000 trips reduced from seven and a half years to just six months, according to China State Railway Group Co.
So far, the China-Europe rail freight network has expanded to 227 cities in 25 European countries and over 100 cities in 11 Asian countries.
The service is widely seen as a vital "stabilizer" for Asia-Europe trade and economic ties.
The variety of goods transported has also greatly diversified, growing from a few categories like electronics to over 53 categories and more than 50,000 types of products.
High-tech and high-value-added items, including China's electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products, have increasingly become a part of the cargo, making their way to global markets via this service.
Lan Gang, a China-Europe freight train driver based in Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, has witnessed the development of the service firsthand.
"The trains I drive are bringing more and more foreign products to the Chinese market," said Mr Lan.
While driving high-level opening up in China's inland regions, the service is also boosting economic and social development in countries along the routes.
In the border city of Ulanqab, China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the service has promoted import and export businesses and development of local industries.
While in Duisburg, new logistics hubs, industrial and trade centres, and industrial parks have been established following the launch of the China-Europe freight trains, creating over 20,000 local jobs.
Last month, an ASEAN Express train set off for Poland's Malaszewicze via Chongqing, opening a new fast-track route for Asia-Europe trade.
It achieved seamless connection between the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and the China-Europe freight train service - two vital international trade routes.
The journey, which starts in Vietnam, cuts previous Asia-Europe cross-border transportation by five to 10 days.
"The China-Europe freight train service hits the sweet spot between air freight, which is fast but expensive, and sea freight which is less expensive but very slow," said Hanno Reeser from Dutch company New Silk Way Logistics.
"China-Europe railway service has provided opportunities for European enterprises," he said, noting more European businesses now choose to use this service. |
