From its inception, the China-Europe cargo rail line has been aimed at improving cross-border trade. But in 2020, COVID pandemic lockdowns turned it into a lifeline support for the economies along its route. It has also become a reliable trade channel between China and Europe. Xu Hua tells us how it's helping companies in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Against the backdrop of COVID-19 and geopolitical tensions, data suggests that China, compared to last year, is witnessing a trade expansion with its top three partners – the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the European Union, and the United States. In southern China's Shenzen, workers at the Caixun Industrial Park explain how they've felt the rebound.

JIN XIN General Manager of Logistics, Caixun Industrial Park "We are an export-oriented manufacturer of LED televisions and LCD screens. Our volume last year reached 4.1 billion yuan. Compared with January to July last year, our export value rose by almost 10 percent, while the export volume increased nearly 30 percent."

The industrial park's manager attributes some of the growth to the cargo railway route that links the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao with the European continent.

JIN XIN General Manager of Logistics, Caixun Industrial Park "Thanks to the opening of the China-Europe freight train route, we quickly entered the Russian and Belarussian markets, which gave us some good results in the year's first half."

XU HUA Shenzhen "Here at Caixun industrial park, this truck loaded with LCD TV sets will head to a railway freight terminal in Shenzhen, to catch the 'Bay Area' freight train and depart from Shenzhen today. About 20 days later, the cargo will arrive in Europe."

Since 2020, over 200 trips have been made on the freight train line, with the imports-and-exports value reaching nearly 900 million U.S. dollars.

At the height of the COVID pandemic, when most sea and air transport were suspended due to lockdowns, cargo rail lines became the go-to alternative for trade and economic continuity.

DENG XIAOPENG Deputy Section Chief Port Supervision Division, Shenzhen Customs "Based on the actual needs of enterprises and the market, we launched a 'customized' train supervision plan to support cross-border e-commerce and to open high-quality trains for electronics and other essential industries. We provide customs clearance by appointment 24-7 and continuously simplify procedures and improve through a series of measures. The efficiency of customs clearance will promote the high-quality development of the Bay Area China-Europe Railway Express."

Officials say, with a total of 82 routes, the trains now reach nearly 200 cities in 24 European countries, forming a transport network covering the whole continent.

For better services, China is looking to upgrade and reconstruct bottleneck sections and congested ports, explore the operation of "tourist trains" and actively expand channels in areas such as Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Central and Western Asia. Xu Hua, CGTN, Shenzhen.