China's cross-border rail freight transport maintained stable and smooth operations in the first 11 months of the year, with both volume and efficiency lifted, according to data released by China Railway on Monday.
This year, the cities of Chongqing, Yiwu, Wuhan and Guangzhou have joined Xi'an and Chengdu cities to provide fully timetabled China-Europe freight train services that represent high-quality cross-border transportation.
A total of 17,918 China-Europe freight trains transported 1.919 million TEUs of goods from January to November, up 11 percent and 10 percent year on year, respectively, in terms of trains involved and TEUs sent.
The cities of Jinan and Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province handled a record 1,572 China-Europe freight train trips in the first 11 months.
In the period, a total of 4,046 freight trains passed through the Erenhot port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a year-on-year increase of 32.5 percent.
"Now, the number of China-Europe freight train routes at the Erenhot port has increased to 71, which connect the port with 64 Chinese cities and more than 140 cities and stations in 12 countries. The proportion of high value-added products such as cars, machinery, cellphones and computers has exceeded 40 percent," said Cao Junpei, deputy director of the Port Management Office of the Commerce Department, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
More than 17.5 million tons of goods, including 4.34 million tons of goods for cross-border trade, were transported along the China-Laos Railway in the first 11 months, up 10 percent and 17.7 percent year on year, respectively.
In the period, the total value of fruits exported via the rail route surged by more than 51 times year on year to 158 million yuan (about 21.65 million U.S. dollars), and the figure of imported fruits rose by 79.3 percent year on year to 3.81 billion yuan (about 522 million U.S. dollars), data showed.
China's cross-border rail freight transport sees sound growth Jan-Nov
A new round of trade-in subsidy program is energizing China's consumer market these days, with provinces across the country seeing a surge in demand for cars, home appliances and digital devices.
In north China's Shanxi Province, the new trade-in subsidy program, which started on January 9, has further helped boost sales in home appliances and digital devices which are covered by the new round of subsidies.
To enjoy the subsidies, six types of home appliances, including refrigerators and washing machines, must meet national Level 1 energy-efficiency or water-efficiency standards. Digital and smart products include four types, such as mobile phones and tablets, with a sales price cap of 6,000 yuan (about 800 U.S. dollars) per item.
In both categories, subsidies are set at 15 percent of the final transaction price. For home appliances, the maximum subsidy is 1,500 yuan per item. For digital products, the cap is 500 yuan per item. Each consumer can receive a subsidy for one unit in each category.
Neighboring Shanxi, Hebei Province kicked off the year of 2026 with the new round of trade-in subsidy program starting on January 1.
The subsidies cover automobiles, home appliances, and digital products. Individual consumers who purchase designated Level 1 energy-efficiency appliances or eligible digital products priced at no more than 6,000 yuan can receive subsidies equal to 15 percent of the transaction price. The maximum subsidy is 1,500 yuan per appliance and 500 yuan per digital or smart device, with each person limited to one subsidized item in each category.
Data showed that from Jan 1 to 9, Hebei's home appliance trade-in program alone disbursed more than 130 million yuan in subsidies, driving sales of over 920 million yuan.
In east China's Jiangsu Province, the new trade-in subsidy program, taking effect for two weeks, has brought the province a boom in trade-in.
At a local 4S store in Jiangsu's Suqian City, showroom traffic has spiked as salespeople walked customers through the new benefits from the trade-in subsidy program.
"Under the scrappage-and-replacement scheme, customers who buy a new energy vehicle (NEV) can receive a subsidy worth 12 percent of the vehicle price, capped at 20,000 yuan (about 2,860 U.S. dollars). For combustion-engine cars, the subsidy is 10 percent, with an upper limit of 15,000 yuan. For trade-ins, NEVs are able to receive a subsidy worth 8 percent of the vehicle price, up to 15,000 yuan, while combustion-engine cars will receive a 6-percent subsidy, with a cap of 13,000 yuan," said Sun Yue, a saleswoman at the store.
In the home appliance sector, Jiangsu's policy this year stipulates that only products that meet China's Level 1 energy-efficiency standard are eligible for subsidies. The scheme covers six major categories, including refrigerators and washing machines.
Consumers who purchase qualifying appliances can receive a subsidy equal to 15 percent of the final retail price, up to a maximum of 1,500 yuan per item. Each person is limited to one subsidized unit per product category.
Four types of digital and smart products, such as mobile phones and tablets, are eligible for a 15-percent subsidy capped at 500 yuan per unit, with a retail price no more than 6,000 yuan.
"With the national subsidy policy back in place this year, I went to the store to check what discounts I could get. It knocked 500 yuan off the price. [The discounted price is] very reasonable," said Wang Kang, a resident of Jiangsu's Xuzhou Province.
To enhance the shopping experience for consumers, many retailers are pairing subsidies with "one-stop" services that combine the delivery of new products with on-site collection of old ones.
"After consumers place an order for new home appliances, our staff will schedule a time to pick up the old units. Recycling the old appliance can also further offset the purchase price of the new one," said Yang Jie, a sales supervisor at a major home appliance company.
China's new trade-in program sparks consumption boom
