A Qilu China-Europe freight train slowly pulls out of Zibo on March 8. [Photo/zbnews.net]
Soon after a long and piercing whistle rent the air, the Qilu China-Europe freight train set off for Uzbekistan from the prefecture-level city of Zibo, located in East China's Shandong province.
It was the third freight trip dispatched from Zibo in the month – slowly pulling out of the Zibo Customs facility on March 8 and set to arrive in Chukursai station in Uzbekistan, after about 15 days.
According to Zibo Customs, a dozen such journeys took place from January to February this year, carrying goods worth 230 million yuan ($36.2 million), respective increases of 140 percent and 61.5 percent.
"As foreign trade exports are developing rapidly this year, the Qilu China-Europe freight train provides strong support for trade between Zibo and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, such as Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Our freight forwarding volume has doubled," said Miao Song, manager of Shandong Land Port International Logistics Co Ltd.
To ensure the successful operations of the Qilu China-Europe freight train, Zibo Customs introduced regulations including shortening customs clearance times, extending the customs processing period and simplifying customs processing.
The value of annual imports and exports shipped by the Zibo railroad last year is expected to have reached more than 1.2 billion yuan, an increase of 134 percent.
"In 2022, Zibo Customs introduced an online system for the logistics management platform, to promote the efficiency of the China-Europe freight train", said an official of Zibo Customs.
Zibo Customs' officials check the freight train bound for Uzbekistan. [Photo/zbnews.net]
