This photo, taken on August 6, 2024, shows a freight train ready to depart from the China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base. (CFP)

Jiangsu Province's imports and exports with the five Central Asian countries reached 18.3 billion yuan from January to July this year, marking a year-on-year increase of 65%, according to Nanjing Customs.

On August 19, a China-Europe freight train carrying smart home appliances and other goods worth approximately $2 million departed from Suzhou, bound for Uzbekistan.

Shou Ting, customs affairs manager at DTW Logistics Suzhou Branch, said that it takes just 16 days for the goods to reach Central Asia via the freight train service, which has expanded export channels for enterprises.

As the first entity project inaugurated under the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base has built a strong logistics network comprising oceangoing vessels, deep-water ports, inland waterways, international freight trains, and depots. From January to July this year, the number of China-Europe freight train trips departing from Lianyungang increased by 22.4% year-on-year.

“Lianyungang’s logistics network has now achieved full coverage of major destinations in Central Asia, and the range of goods transported by the trains has expanded from initially just auto parts to include daily necessities, grain, minerals, and mechanical and electrical products, said Kong Xiangwei, deputy general manager of Lianyungang China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Co., Ltd. “Improvement of customs clearance have also saved time and costs,” he said.