(CFP Photo)

Lianyungang will host the China-Europe Railway Express Cooperation Forum on December 1.

From 2016 to 2021, the number of China-Europe freight train trips registered a yearly increase of 55% on average, and the annual freight volume expanded nine times.

As of the end of October this year, there were 82 China-Europe freight train routes linking 204 cities in 24 European countries. The total number of such freight train trips reached 62,000, delivering a total of 5.76 million containers. Such services have created a new land transport channel between Asia and Europe, safeguarded the security and stability of the international supply chain, and provided a significant public good to the international community.

The five cities in Jiangsu - Nanjing, Xuzhou, Suzhou, Nantong and Lianyungang - have opened 23 routes to reach nearly 80 cities in Europe, Central Asia and Southeast Asia. From January to November this year, the number of freight train trips between Jiangsu and Europe is estimated to reach 1,800, a year-on-year growth of 12%.

Lianyungang is at the intersection of the land-based and sea-based Belt and Road Initiative. In the past 30 years, the total number of freight train trips from Lianyungang to Central Asia and European countries reached nearly 15,000, making the coastal city the first port of transit cargo transport in China and one of the three major ports for export of machinery and vehicles.

Since March this year, Wuxi City has operated 15 China-Europe freight train trips that transported 11,560 tonnes of freight with 1,156 containers and a market value of about 320 million yuan.

The coastal province has 354 sister-city partnerships inked with regions in 64 countries, ranking first in China. The freight train also serves as a booster for friendly exchanges at regional level.