The China-Europe Railway Express (CRE) has made over 130,000 trips, with its total cargo value exceeding 520 billion U.S. dollars, officials from China's National Development and Reform Commission(NDRC) announced Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference, officials said CRE services have reached 236 cities in 26 European countries, forming an extensive and efficient international logistics network. Over 53 categories and 50,000 types of goods are now transported on these trains, and their share of total China-Europe trade continues to grow.
In June, as Europe faced a record-breaking heatwave with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, demand for air conditioners soared. Chinese manufacturers switched from sea to rail to meet urgent supply needs, cutting delivery times from 40 days to about 15 days and creating a rapid-response trade corridor.
CRE now operates 96 routes, offering diversified passageways through northern, central, and southern corridors. Since establishing a unified brand in June 2016, the train service has achieved significant high-quality development. By June 2026, its container loading rate had remained at 100 percent for 46 consecutive months, and outbound and return trips are now nearly balanced at a 1:1 ratio.
China-Europe freight trains top 130,000 trips, hauling 520 bln dollars in goods
Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged pooling the strength of overseas Chinese and those who have returned to China to contribute to building China into a strong country and advancing national rejuvenation.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in an instruction on work related to Chinese nationals overseas.
Xi called for fully implementing the Party's policies on work related to Chinese nationals overseas and encouraging overseas Chinese, as well as returned overseas Chinese and their families, to leverage their unique strengths in support of the cause of national reunification.
The national conference on work related to Chinese nationals overseas was held in Beijing from Monday to Tuesday, during which Xi's instruction was conveyed.
Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the conference and delivered a speech.
Xi's instruction sets the direction and provides important guidance for work related to Chinese nationals overseas on the new journey in the new era, Wang said, urging efforts to promote the high-quality development in the field in the new era.
Xi urges pooling strength of overseas Chinese to help build strong country, advance national rejuvenation
