On May 11th, the first "South Asia International Freight Train" set off from Lanzhou. Ten days later, this train, brimming with "Made in China" goods, will arrive in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, after traversing both railway and road routes. This marks an important step for Lanzhou in its development, as it follows the launch of the "Lanzhou Express" freight train to Central Asia and Europe, further opening up to the west and south.
Over the past two years since the major strategic vision was proposed, countries along the route have responded in droves. Last year, China signed joint-building memorandums of understanding with over 30 countries. Some key "skeletons" have already been established, such as the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, the China-Southwest Peninsula Economic Corridor, the New Eurasian Land Bridge Economic Corridor, the China-Central Asia-West Asia Corridor, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and the孟中印缅 Economic Corridor. Some have already achieved impressive results. Taking the China-Europe relationship as an example, traditionally, freight between China and Europe relied heavily on air, sea, and road transport, with high costs for air and road and lengthy sea travel times. The China-Europe train service, with its short distances, high speed, and high safety standards, along with its advantages of safety, speed, greenness, and minimal environmental impact, has become a backbone of land-based transportation in international logistics.
The prospects for international freight are vast, offering high cost-performance value. As we all know, our logistics and trade with South Asia and Southeast Asia have traditionally been conducted via sea transport. The newly launched railway freight express train marks a breakthrough in land-based transportation, fully leveraging the advantages of rail transport. It is imaginable that in the future, rail transport will drive economic and trade exchanges, goods movement, people's mobility, cultural exchanges, and technical support between countries and cities, thereby strengthening the "urban" effect among nations. The development pattern will undoubtedly be established through mutual assistance, support, and progress, creating a cooperative system for the common development of all countries. With the complementarity of technology and the mutual assistance of resources, the railway will also take strides in development, paving the way for a world map of railway transportation.
The opening of every international railway line has now become a trend, bringing a new round of development opportunities to the countries and regions along the route. Industries should embrace this new era with innovative development approaches and work together to create a win-win situation. As we collaborate with the South Asia Railway, our own railway is continuously "upgrading" and speeding up. We believe that the "South Asia International Freight Train" will become a "star product" in the grand strategy of international freight, and it will also boost our common economic development, benefiting the people.
