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)

29日10时18分，满载110标箱货值3900多万元人民币的X8020次中欧班列从义乌铁路西站鸣笛启程，经新疆阿拉山口口岸出境，预计21天后抵达西班牙首都马德里。这是今年开行的全国第10000列中欧班列，较去年提前22天破万列，累计发送货物108.3万标箱，同比增长27%，呈现量质齐升的良好态势。

今年以来，义乌积极贯彻落实推动开放能级提升，开行“义乌-中亚五国”十周年纪念号，开行“CMEC新能源号”班列，促进中国-中亚区域经济合作和互联互通；开行“京东号”班列，助力中国品牌出海。同时，义乌与中铁、德铁达成合作，谋划布局集装箱欧洲调度中心，“义新欧”中欧班列德国集散中心在杜伊斯堡正式揭牌启用。

“今年恰逢‘一带一路’倡议提出十周年，全国中欧班列第10000列放在义乌开行，我们倍感自豪和开心。”义乌市天盟实业投资有限公司运营副总裁叶秋然表示，经过十年发展，“义新欧”中欧班列运输的商品品类和货值逐年提升，高附加值高科技产品逐年增多，运输货物从义乌小商品、五金电器、机械设备到汽车配件、光伏产品、智能家电、新能源汽车等。义乌海关监管“义新欧”中欧班列进出口货值连续9年实现增长，2023年上半年为184.2亿元，同比增长19.5%。

今年，中欧班列义乌平台已开行班列1044列，日均往返开行5列以上，发运量同比增长14.7%；自2013以来累计开行突破6000列，发运量达49.8万标箱。开通运行18条国际铁路直达线路，到达境外站点101个，辐射欧亚大陆50多个国家和160多个城市。

“‘义新欧’中欧班列是义乌参与‘一带一路’建设的标志性工程，也是推动我省加快形成海陆联动、东西互济对外开放格局的重要举措，义甬舟开放大通道的支撑性工程，已连续多年位居全国中欧班列运营‘第一梯队’。”义乌市场发展委相关负责人表示。（全媒体记者 吴峰宇 文/摄）