A China-Europe Railway Express freight train traveling from Yokohama, Japan to Duisburg, Germany stops over in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province. [Photo/xmnn.cn]
The China-Europe Railway Express (Xiamen) saw stellar growth in the first five months of this year, with a total of 85 freight train trips to Central Europe and Central Asia, a 117 percent year-on-year increase, according to a news report on June 14.
The China-Europe Railway Express (Xiamen), which is now focusing on the construction of a new national logistics channel, has expanded its business to Europe, Southeast Asia, and East Asia since it started operations in 2015. It had made 677 trips carrying 535 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers as of the end of this March.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have reduced land and air routes, leading to a sharp increase in freight volume on the China-Europe Railway.
Customs and railway authorities have introduced a series of measures to ensure that the China-Europe rail line maintains normal operations amid the COVID-19 outbreak, including setting up green channels and offering quicker customs clearance, which has helped international logistics channels and supply chains remain stable.
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
