China-Europe freight train trips from the China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base in east China's Jiangsu Province increased by 9.18 percent year on year to 666 trains in the first eight months of 2026, the latest customs data showed.
During the January-August period, the hub dispatched 54,600 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of goods, according to the data from the Nanjing Customs.
The base has successfully established six major international rail routes, including line connecting the five Central Asian nations, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan route, the China-Russia rail transport route, and the Trans-Caspian route, carrying cargo ranging from automobiles and auto parts, chemical products, home appliances, textiles and apparel, to electronics.
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 236 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.
China-Kazakhstan logistics base sees surge in cross-border freight train trips in Jan-Aug period
China has made full preparations for the upcoming autumn grain procurement as the summer procurement approaches its end, according to the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.
For now, the country's total amount of wheat procurement has exceeded 100 million tons.
To protect grain farmers' interests, the government has promptly activated the minimum purchase price program for wheat. Sinograin has opened 164 purchasing sites across two major producing provinces of Henan and Anhui, offering to buy wheat at prices supported by the policy without any volume cap.
"The payment for my grain came through quickly today, and I feel much more at ease now that the minimum purchase price policy has been put into effect," said Hou Erwei, a local farmer.
As the autumn grain crop gradually ripens across the coutry, the autumn grain purchasing season is about to begin, expected to run from late September through the end of April next year.
The Autumn season accounts for approximately three-quarters of the country’s total annual grain purchases, making it the most significant grain procurement and storage period of the year.
This year, grain dryers and smart grain-handling equipment have been included into subsidy, helping ensure that the autumn harvest can be purchased, stored, and transported smoothly.
"At present, grain storage capacity, purchasing funds, personnel, equipment, and other resources are all in place. It is expected that grain purchases during this year's peak autumn harvest season will reach approximately 350 million tons. We will strengthen market monitoring and information dissemination, as well as make effective use of the drying and other services provided by post-harvest grain service centers to help farmers reduce losses and increase their incomes," said Luo Shouquan, director of Grain Reserves Department, National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration.
China ready for autumn grain procurement as summer purchase draws to close
