A TOTAL of 96 China-Europe freight trains with a cumulative shipment value of 2.74 billion yuan (US$384.2 million) departed from Shenzhen in the first half of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 34.2%, Shenzhen Customs said on Tuesday. The trains passed through Russia, Poland, Germany, and other European countries and regions, carrying more than 100 types of goods, including electronic products, mechanical equipment and clothing. “Compared to maritime transport and air transport, China-Europe freight trains are less likely to be affected by nature and have high stability. They are very attractive to companies seeking to deliver products with certain volumes and high requirements for transport timeliness,” said Xu Zhenkang, a Shenzhen Customs official. Shenzhen Customs has diverse export product categories, including such high-value-added and high-tech goods as electronic products and robots, as well as household goods, and machinery and equipment, according to Xu. Local enterprises have made remarkable achievements in exporting electronic appliances, digital products and other goods from Shenzhen aboard the China-Europe freight trains. Increasing numbers of goods from the Pearl River Delta region, which includes Foshan City and Zhongshan City, have also been sent to Shenzhen so that they can be exported on the freight trains. “China-Europe freight trains have become an important bridge connecting the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with Europe. Since the beginning of this year, we have supported train operators to relaunch a Shenzhen-Budapest route so that enterprises can expand their markets and usher in more opportunities,” Xu said. Data shows that in the first half of 2024, Shenzhen’s imports and exports totaled 2.2 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 31.7%, which set a record high for the same period and accounted for 10.4% of the national total. (Xinhua) | 