China-Europe freight train trips on eastern corridor hit record high

The number of China-Europe freight train trips through the network's eastern corridor reached a record high so far this year, while the range of goods transported has increasingly shifted toward higher-value, technology-intensive products.

As of Friday, the corridor had handled 6,024 trips this year, up 40.3% year on year, marking the first time annual traffic through the corridor has surpassed 6,000 trips.

The corridor comprises three major railway ports in Manzhouli, Suifenhe and Tongjiang, connecting more than 60 Chinese cities with 14 European countries.

In the first three quarters of this year, the Shijiazhuang International Land Port in north China's Hebei Province operated 1,023 China-Europe freight trains and handled 103,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of import and export containers, according to Shijiazhuang Customs. The figures increased 27.4% and 26%, respectively, year on year, both reaching record highs for the same period.

As a major China-Europe freight train hub in northern China, the Shijiazhuang port now operates 27 regular routes that connect more than 50 countries and regions across Asia and Europe.

The port's cargo mix has also evolved from daily consumer goods and textile materials to higher-value products, including electronics, photovoltaic products and high-end equipment, reflecting the growing role of technology-intensive and higher-value goods in China's exports.

Meanwhile, Shanghai's foreign trade also reached a record high in the first three quarters. According to Shanghai Customs, the city's ports handled 10.35 trillion yuan ($1.5 trillion) worth of imports and exports during the period, up 23.7% year on year.

The figure accounted for 25.9% of China's total foreign trade, keeping Shanghai's ports in the top spot nationwide.