China-Germany links boosted by railway network

DUISBURG - The city of Duisburg, Germany's biggest inland port, is the western terminus of the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe rail line.

Though the line opened in 2011, more and more trains - operated by the China Railway Express (CRE) from Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Suzhou, Yiwu and other Chinese cities - have been arriving here.

It takes only 13 days for goods to arrive in Duisburg from Chongqing by rail, 30 days less than by sea, and at a fifth of the cost of air freight. According to industry experts, the China-Europe freight train services have been providing solutions for the international logistics industry and promoting international trade ties and economic development along the Belt and Road Initiative economies.