Three freight trains with a speed of 120 kilometers per hour respectively departed from three Chinese cities on Monday, marking the country's official launch of cargo express trains.
One of the expresses departed from Langfang City in north China's Hebei Province with 43 containers, and is going to arrive in Changping Station in south China's Guangdong Province in over 30 hours.
"The route between (Hebei Province's) Guangyang District to (Guangdong Province's) Changping Town stretches 1,750 kilometers. The maximum speed of the train can reach 120 kilometers per hour. We set the price close to that of the road transportation, which is roughly the same," said Zhang Wansheng, deputy director of China Railway Beijing Group's freight transport department.
The cargo express trains mainly travel between economically developed areas, such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
There will be six lines, with all of them using container marshaling.
Clients are able to check the price and available spots of the containers online, and make bookings based on their needs.
"After we book the spot for containers, a fleet of trucks is dispatched to load goods directly at our location. Let's calculate the costs, it saves us about 15 percent in transportation cost," said Hou Bin, a person in charge of a logistics enterprise in Shanghai.
China launches cost-effective cargo express trains
Israel aims to fuel division among Lebanese factions by holding direct talks with the Lebanese government, said a senior Hezbollah official in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
Bilal Lakkis, a member of Hezbollah's Central Committee, said Israel's military plans are failing in southern Lebanon, with no prominent military gains despite weeks of bombardment.
Israel has been bombarding most bridges over the Litani River, leaving only about two intact, in what appears to be an attempt to create an expanded buffer zone or to advance further north. Asked how Hezbollah views this strategy, Lakkis dismissed Israeli objectives as incoherent and militarily unachieved.
"Every day one of Israel's leaders says something different. Some say 'we need protection from the attacks', others say they want an occupation to settle the Israeli military. A third group says they want a buffer zone. A buffer zone needs a huge military victory, which has not been achieved. This proves that there is hesitance among them, there is no clarity. In any case, the region south of the river, some parts of it are just three kilometers between the river and the occupied Palestinian territories, so it doesn't achieve security," he said.
The United States hosted political talks for the first time in decades between the Lebanese government and Israel this week. Asked whether any agreement could be implemented without Hezbollah's consent and what Israel seeks from these negotiations, Lakkis was unequivocal in his rejection.
"The government is violating all laws. Some in Lebanon had hopes that the war on Iran would hit the brain, all the affiliates would perish. Instead they found success in holding negotiations in Pakistan. Every time Netanyahu fails militarily, he attempts to fuel the division within the Lebanese body," he said.
Asked about whether Hezbollah would avoid actions that might fuel such divisions, Lakkis emphasized the group's commitment to internal stability.
"The resistance in Lebanon doesn't want any internal instability. That is a long-standing historic stance. It's a red line for us to tamper with peace and stability. Moreover, the Arab and the Islamic support towards the resistance and Hezbollah specifically is at its best. To resist that is a way more valuable gain than to be dragged against an internal party. We are keen on national unity and Islamic unity," he said.
Hezbollah official says Israel aims to fuel division among Lebanese factions
