-- A silver lining brought by China-Europe freight trains has boosted fragile supply chains in Eurasian countries and saved businesses in both China and Europe.

-- Though its prices are a little higher than seaborne shipping, the train service provided by China Railway Express has the advantage of a relatively stable schedule, which takes as short as 12 days to get to Europe from China hinging on specific departures and destinations.

-- Notably, life-saving medical supplies and raw materials were also transported to Europe by freight trains, when countries along the route were synergizing efforts to combat the coronavirus.

-- Since the first China-Europe freight train departed from Chongqing in March 2011, the service has reached more than 160 cities in 22 European countries.

BERLIN, June 24  -- Though the outbreak of COVID-19 had grounded Europeans for months and impacted the economy as a whole, some sectors such as electronics businesses have spotted niches with surging demands for laptops and other gadgets at home.

Lu Hong, a local brand director of laptop manufacturer ASUS in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, found such a niche and witnessed a business boom in 2020. However, before long, shortage of sea freighters, price hikes and unpredictable shipping time pushed him to the verge of breaking contracts.

A silver lining brought by China-Europe freight trains has boosted fragile supply chains in Eurasian countries and saved businesses in both China and Europe.

SOLUTION TO SUPPLY DISRUPTION

Lu's company last year hired some 1,000 containers to deliver computers through China-Europe freight train services across the Eurasian continent.

Though its prices are a little higher than seaborne shipping, the train service provided by China Railway Express (CRE) has the advantage of a relatively stable schedule, which takes as short as 12 days to get to Europe from China hinging on specific departures and destinations.