A China-Europe freight train bound for Minsk of Finland departs from Changsha North Railway Station in Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, May 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)
BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Central China, including the six provinces of Shanxi, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi, is one of the fastest growing regions in the country.
The central region has excellent geographical advantages in import and export, which is conducive to foreign enterprises to meet the needs of the international market. From 2006 to 2020, the import and export volume of the six central provinces had increased from 53.6 billion to 387.3 billion U.S. dollars.
Railway transport has become a vital link in the international logistics supply chain. Through the China-Europe freight train service, the central region is committed to facilitating cross-border trade, as part of its effort to further opening up.
A China-Europe freight train bound for Belgrade of Serbia departs from Wujiashan railway container center station in Wuhan, capital city of central China's Hubei Province, May 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
A key transport hub, Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, is located at the intersection of the national railway network. To enhance its connection with European countries, the city has built an inland port to handle the China-Europe freight trains.
The number of freight train trips via the port jumped from 13 in 2013 to 1,126 in 2020, with the cargo value soaring from 50 million U.S. dollars in 2013 to 4.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, statistics show.
A China-Europe freight train waits for departure at a station in Zhengzhou, capital city of central China's Henan Province, July 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Li An)
Aerial photo taken on July 18, 2020 shows a China-Europe freight train waiting for departure at a station in Zhengzhou, capital city of central China's Henan Province, July 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Li An)
Besides Zhengzhou, many cities in the central region have joined the China-Europe freight train project, which helps make the trade tie between the central region and Europe smoother.
The central region has witnessed continuous economic development, enhanced vitality, improved infrastructure and more convenient transportation and made all-around progress.
A China-Europe freight train bound for Paris of France is about to depart from a logistics park in Taiyuan, capital city of north China's Shanxi Province, June 2, 2021. (Xinhua)
A China-Europe freight train bound for Moscow of Russia and Minsk of Belarus waits for departure at Xiangtang railway port in Nanchang, capital city of east China's Jiangxi Province, Feb. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Hu Chenhuan)■
