On July 29, at 10:18 AM, the X8020 China Railway Express (CRE), loaded with 110 TEUs valued at over 39 million RMB, set off from Yiwu Railway’s West Station. The train then passed through Xinjiang’s Alashankou Port and is expected to reach Madrid, the capital of Spain, in 21 days. This journey marks the 10,000th CRE of the year, achieving this milestone 22 days ahead of last year. Collectively, these trains have transported 1.083 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 27%.

Since the start of the year, Yiwu has amplified its global outreach. The city launched the Yiwu-Central Asia route’s 10th-anniversary train and the CMEC New Energy train service. These initiatives aim to strengthen economic ties and connectivity between China and Central Asia. Additionally, the introduction of the JD.com train supports Chinese brands in their international expansion. In collaboration with China Railway and Deutsche Bahn, Yiwu is planning a European container dispatch center. The Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe (YXE) CRE’s German hub was recently launched in Duisburg.

“We felt proud as the 10,000th CRE departed from Yiwu, especially as this year marks the Belt and Road’s tenth anniversary,” said Ye Qiuran, vice president of operations at Timex Industrial, Yiwu. Over a decade, the YXE CRE has seen a growth in the diversity and value of goods transported. High-tech, high-value products are becoming more prominent in the cargo list, ranging from small goods, hardware, electronics, and machinery to car parts, photovoltaic items, smart appliances, and new energy vehicles. The import and export value of YXE CRE, supervised by Yiwu Customs, has grown for nine consecutive years. In the first half of 2023, the value stood at 18.42 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 19.5%.

This year alone, the Yiwu platform of the CRE has operated 1,044 services, averaging over 5 round-trips daily, a year-on-year increase of 14.7%. Since 2013, the platform has run over 6,000 trains, transporting 498,000 TEUs. Yiwu now has 18 direct international rail routes, linking to 101 overseas stations. This network links 50 countries and over 160 cities across Eurasia.

“The YXE CRE is Yiwu’s flagship project in the Belt and Road. It plays an important role in promoting the province’s sea-land connectivity and in fostering east-west trade relations. It’s the backbone of the Yiwu-Ningbo-Zhoushan gateway and has been a top performer in the nation’s CRE operations for years,” shared a representative from Yiwu Market Development Committee. (Text and photo by Wu Fengyu)