China's northern port city of Tianjin -- the venue for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 -- has seen the departure of more than 5,860 China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains, amid continued promotion of economic and trade cooperation between China and other SCO countries.
Fully loaded with 55 containers of medicines, electric appliances and food, the 464th freight train this year leaved Tianjin on Thursday. It will exit China via northern Inner Mongolia's Erenhot Port, the largest land port on the China-Mongolia border, before arriving in Mongolia's capital city of Ulan Bator in eight days.
The Erenhot Port has recorded a milestone of 20,000 arrivals and departures of China-Europe freight trains since its service was launched in 2013, said the China Railway Hohhot Group Co., Ltd. earlier this month. The Erenhot Port now serves 73 routes linking over 60 cities across 24 Chinese provincial-level regions to more than 70 stations in over 10 countries, including Germany and Poland.
"Before the launch of the China-Europe (Central Asia) Railway Express, goods had to be transfered in multiple cities before reaching Central Asian countries. After the launch, the transportation distance was shortened, and the costs of time and freight were also significantly reduced," said Wang Huan, general manager of an international rail freight operation management company in Tianjin.
"In March this year, two loading and unloading lines were added to one major station, where the freight capacity thus rose from 400,000 to 800,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo. I believe the transportation capacity of the China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains departing from here will be further enhanced," said Li Zhiwu, head of the business development department under an international marine containers company in Tianjin.
The China-Europe freight train service began operations in 2011 and has grown rapidly since the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. So far, the service has reached 229 cities in 26 European countries and more than 100 cities in 11 other Asian countries, covering nearly the entire Eurasian continent and building a new platform for economic and trade cooperation along the routes.
Official statistics show that trade between China and other SCO countries reached a record 890 billion U.S. dollars in 2024.
The SCO Summit 2025 will be held in Tianjin from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1.
Tianjin sees departure of 5,860 China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains
China's securities regulator has pledged to prioritize market stability and resolutely prevent sharp fluctuations as a core objective for 2026, aiming to consolidate sound development of the capital market.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) made the commitment at its annual work conference on Thursday, where the regulator reviewed the past year's performance and outlined key tasks for 2026.
In 2025, listed companies distributed a combined total of 2.68 trillion yuan (about 380 billion U.S. dollars) in cash dividends and share buybacks throughout the year, further consolidating the momentum for high-quality development.
Initial public offerings (IPOs) and follow-on offerings reached a combined 1.26 trillion yuan, while the exchange bond market issued various bonds totaling 16.3 trillion yuan.
Eighteen futures and options products were smoothly listed, demonstrating the robust functioning of the multi-tiered capital market.
The meeting emphasized that while the capital market currently shows stable and sound performance, it still faces complex and severe challenges posed by intertwined domestic and external risks as well as the overlapping of persisting and emerging issues.
Efforts will be made to effectively enhance the intrinsic stability of the market, the CSRC said, adding that it will rigorously investigate and punish excessive speculation, market manipulation, and other illegal activities to prevent sharp market fluctuations.
It will work to foster a market ecosystem where "long-term capital engages in long-term investment," the regulator said, pledging efforts to broaden the channels for medium and long-term capital inflows, introduce various products and risk management tools suited to long-term investment, and actively guide long-term, rational and value-based investment.
It also vowed to enhance the inclusiveness and adaptability of the multi-tiered equity market, crack down on illegal activities such as financial fraud, price manipulation and insider trading, and enhance corporate governance among listed firms.
The CSRC will advance the two-way opening up of the capital market in 2026.
Efforts will be made to expedite the implementation of the optimized Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor scheme, expand the scope of futures products accessible to foreign investors, and enhance the facilitation of cross-border investment and financing, the regulator said.
China's securities regulator stresses market stability in 2026 work plan
China's securities regulator stresses market stability in 2026 work plan
