The 110,000th China-Europe freight train departed from Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province on Tuesday morning, marking a milestone in the service's high-quality development since 14 years ago.
Linking 128 Chinese cities with hundreds of European and Asian cities, the China-Europe freight train service has sent more than 450 billion U.S. dollars worth of commodities in its 14 years of service.
Tuesday's train from Qingdao will exit China via northern Inner Mongolia's Erenhot Port, the largest land port on the China-Mongolia border, before arriving in Europe in 17 days. It is loaded with 55 containers of home appliances, including LCD monitors and refrigerators, worth nearly 20 million yuan (about 2.78 million U.S. dollars).
As of May this year, Shandong Province has operated more than 11,800 China-Europe trains, transporting cargo through 56 international operating routes. The trains have delivered over 10,000 kinds of commodities, such as electronic products, auto parts, complete vehicles, communication, and mechanical equipment.
"Through the trains, we send out a large number of products made in China and bring back products from foreign countries. The categories of imported goods have gradually expanded from the initial timber materials to grain, paper, daily necessities and many others, which greatly improved the development of industrial clusters including grain and timber in Shandong Province," said Ma Chunbo, general manager of Shandong Europe-Asia Freight Train Operation Company.
The China-Europe freight train service was launched in March 2011 from southwest China's Chongqing to Duisburg, Germany, establishing a direct overland trade corridor between China and Europe.
"For now, 128 cities in China have opened China-Europe express trains, connecting 229 cities in 26 European countries and more than 100 cities in 11 Asian countries. Our six major ports have a daily delivery capacity of 184 trains, providing strong support for the expansion of China-Europe express trains," said Wang Yanbo, a China State Railway Group executive.
As a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, the service underscored the high demand and resilience of the rail link amid global logistics challenges.
China-Europe freight train service surpasses 110,000 trips
A major port in northern Venezuela came under U.S. airstrikes in the early hours of January 3, which caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, destroyed critical medical supplies in a warehouse, and severely impacted centuries-old cultural heritage sites, according to local residents.
The La Guaira Port, a vital hub for imports that support daily life in the region, was heavily damaged during the attack.
Large quantities of medical supplies stored at the port were destroyed. A historic cultural building dating back for some 300 years was also badly damaged by the bombardment.
Residents living near the port recalled the terrifying scenes as explosions shook nearby neighborhoods.
Humberto Bolivar, who lives in a community separated from the port by only a main road, said the blast waves shattered his home's windows, while stray shrapnel struck the water tank on his roof. According to reports, three missiles were fired at the port that night.
Bolivar said that beyond material losses, he is most concerned about the psychological impact on his children, who remain too frightened to leave their home days after the attack.
"The United States invaded our country. The children were frightened. This is not good for them, because it leaves some children with psychological trauma. They do not want to go to school or leave the house, because they are afraid that something worse might happen. We truly do not want this to happen to our country," he said.
Apart from civilian facilities, local cultural heritage site was also affected.
The La Guaira state government building, a structure with nearly 300 years of history and once served as the site of Venezuela's first national customs office, was struck by the force of the explosions.
Windows of the building were shattered, and furniture scattered across the floor.
"As people of La Guaira, we feel deep pain. Our cultural heritage has been bombed. We are living in constant anxiety and suffering, and life can no longer be the same as it was before," said a local named Henry Cumares.
The U.S. side has claimed the airstrikes targeted warehouses allegedly used to store narcotics. However, locals refuted such accusation.
"According to what Donald Trump said, they bombed this place using the excuse that the warehouses here were used to store drugs at the port. But based on the video released by our governor, these warehouses that were burned contained medicine for kidney patients and foods. Many people depend on these supplies to survive. I think the bombing is extremely despicable," said a local resident named Alejandro Capriles.
US strike hits Venezuelan port, wrecking medical supplies, heritage building
