Uncategorized
China-Europe freight train service continues making new progress
By Li Xinping, People’s Daily
China-Europe freight trains made 4,186 trips and transported 449,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of goods in the first quarter this year, up 15 percent and 28 percent year on year, respectively, according to statistics released by China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., or China Railway, on April 10.
In particular, 1,488 trips were made and 162,000 TEUs were transported in March alone, growing 31 percent and 52 percent respectively from a year ago. It marked the 35th straight month since May 2020 that China-Europe freight train trips exceeded 1,000.
On the morning of March 24, a freight train loaded with automobile parts and other cargo departed from Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province. It was the first China-Europe freight train heading for Zhodzina, Belarus from the Chinese city, and the third new route for the cargo service opened in Wuhan this year.
So far, the transportation channel in the central Chinese city has 44 stable cross-border routes involving 109 cities in 40 countries on the Eurasian continent.
Since this year, a number of Chinese cities have launched new routes or stations for the China-Europe freight train service, including Beijing, north China’s Tianjin municipality, Anyang of central China’s Henan province and Zhongshan of south China’s Guangdong province. The cargo service has constantly expanded its transportation network with increasing channels.
Besides, upgraded services also enriched the sources of cargo and clients for China-Europe freight trains. In particular, the seamless connection between the land-based “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the oceangoing “21st-century Maritime Silk Road” has opened up new prospects for rail-sea intermodal train services.
Recently, a cargo vessel from the Port of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam arrived at the Haitian Container Terminal at Xiamen Port, southeast China’s Fujian province. After fast transit formalities, cargo on the vessel was soon transferred to a China-Europe freight train bound for Almaty, Kazakhstan.
According to an employee of the China Railway Nanchang Group in east China’s Jiangxi province, the rail-sea intermodal train services could shorten the cargo transportation to only 20 days, which is 45 days less time than whole sea transportation. It has become the best logistics route between Southeast Asia and Central Asia, the employee added.
In the future, Xiamen’s China-Europe freight train service will promote cross-border LCL (Less than Container Load) business, selecting the fastest shipping schedule to gather bulk cargo from South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian countries to Xiamen, and then transfer them to Europe through railway, the employee said.
The constant upgrading of infrastructure and relevant services has significantly improved the efficiency of China-Europe freight trains.
Xi’an International Port in northwest China’s Shaanxi province, a departure station and return destination of China-Europe freight trains in Xi’an, has expanded its handling capacity by 30 percent after three rounds of upgrading.
The China Railway Beijing Group has opened two cargo routes in a China-Europe freight train base in Shijiazhuang, north China’s Hebei province, which improves loading capacity by 50 percent.
In Wuhan, the customs department and the railway department are sharing logistics data of the China-Europe freight train service, which reduces the time for customs clearance by one to two days.
Today, the types of cargo transported by China-Europe freight trains have been significantly expanded, including automobiles, wood, furniture, chemical products, machinery, fertilizers and others.
On the morning of April, 8, a China-Europe freight train carrying new energy vehicles (NEVs) departed from southwest China’s Chongqing municipality. These vehicles were expected to head for Duisburg, Germany via Alashankou Port in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
Thanks to the prospering development of the NEV sector in China, the type of vehicles are driving the cargo volume of China-Europe freight trains. “China-Europe freight trains have become a new choice for Chinese automakers like Geely and BYD to export their products,” said an employee of the Xi’an International Port, which has launched a service for whole-vehicle exports.
According to the China Railway Zhengzhou Group in Henan province, the group has launched customized reinforcement plans for different vehicle models during shipping. Each container is able to carry up to four vehicles at most, which has largely reduced the logistics cost for auto exporters.
The continuous recovery of China’s macro economy has helped many cities set new records in the China-Europe freight train service.
In the first quarter of this year, Xi’an saw over 1,100 China-Europe freight train trips, which carried more than 1 million tons of cargo, up 39.6 percent and 66.1 percent year on year, respectively.
During the same period, 315 trips departed from Wuhan, delivering nearly 26,000 TEUs. The two figures surged 202.88 percent and 202.8 percent respectively from a year ago.
Also in the same quarter, Hefei in east China’s Anhui province set up 21 new stations for the cargo service. A total of 340 China-Europe freight train trips were made by the city, up 49.78 percent year on year.
By Fabian Apechihin
The 2026 Constitution Amendment Bill has moved to the state level following its consideration by the National Assembly, paving the way for state legislatures to consider the proposed amendments.
The development comes amid renewed attention on constitutional reform and ongoing discussions over proposed changes to Nigeria’s governing framework.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has defended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over allegations surrounding borrowing by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
House spokesperson Akin Rotimi Agbese, speaking in an interview with Channels Television, rejected claims that Wike had undertaken borrowing without the knowledge or approval of the National Assembly.
Agbese said the FCT minister could not independently create a sovereign borrowing obligation, stressing that public borrowing is subject to constitutional, statutory and administrative procedures.
“Wike has committed no infraction in borrowings. There is no basis for the allegation that he has been borrowing money behind the back of the National Assembly,” Agbese said.
He explained that borrowing to finance infrastructure was not unlawful where the required approvals and procedures had been followed.
“Borrowing for infrastructure development is not unlawful in itself, provided the prescribed approvals and procedures are followed,” he added.
The House spokesperson further argued that an increase in the FCT’s debt profile should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of illegal borrowing, citing the scale of infrastructure projects being undertaken in Abuja under Wike.
According to Agbese, the key issue is whether the appropriate approvals were obtained for specific borrowing transactions, rather than simply whether the FCT’s overall debt profile has increased.
The comments come as scrutiny continues over public borrowing, infrastructure financing and the legal procedures governing government debt at both the federal and sub-national levels.
By Fabian Apechihin
The 2026 Constitution Amendment Bill has moved to the state level following its consideration by the National Assembly, paving the way for state legislatures to consider the proposed amendments.
The development comes amid renewed attention on constitutional reform and ongoing discussions over proposed changes to Nigeria’s governing framework.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has defended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike over allegations surrounding borrowing by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
House spokesperson Akin Rotimi Agbese, speaking in an interview with Channels Television, rejected claims that Wike had undertaken borrowing without the knowledge or approval of the National Assembly.
Agbese said the FCT minister could not independently create a sovereign borrowing obligation, stressing that public borrowing is subject to constitutional, statutory and administrative procedures.
“Wike has committed no infraction in borrowings. There is no basis for the allegation that he has been borrowing money behind the back of the National Assembly,” Agbese said.
He explained that borrowing to finance infrastructure was not unlawful where the required approvals and procedures had been followed.
“Borrowing for infrastructure development is not unlawful in itself, provided the prescribed approvals and procedures are followed,” he added.
The House spokesperson further argued that an increase in the FCT’s debt profile should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of illegal borrowing, citing the scale of infrastructure projects being undertaken in Abuja under Wike.
According to Agbese, the key issue is whether the appropriate approvals were obtained for specific borrowing transactions, rather than simply whether the FCT’s overall debt profile has increased.
The comments come as scrutiny continues over public borrowing, infrastructure financing and the legal procedures governing government debt at both the federal and sub-national levels.
By Fabian Apechihin
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reaffirmed its intention to contest the 2027 presidential election despite the decision of Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The party said Wike’s decision was personal and did not alter its position to participate in the presidential election with its candidate, Senator Sandy Onor. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, made the clarification on Wednesday.
According to the party, a recent conversation between Wike and Onor should not be interpreted as a political negotiation between the minister and the PDP.
“He told Nigerians that Sandy is his friend. And they only had a friendly discussion within the umbrella of friendship. So, that is just a personal discussion between him and his friend,” Mohammed said.
He added that Wike’s support for Tinubu did not prevent the PDP from fielding candidates for the presidential, governorship and legislative elections.
Wike had earlier clarified that his support in 2027 was specifically for Tinubu’s presidential re-election and did not amount to an agreement that the PDP would withdraw from other electoral contests. He also said he never promised that the PDP would abandon its candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.
“I said I will support the President from day one. I never told Mr President I will join APC,” Wike said.
The minister also maintained that his proposed Rainbow Coalition was not an arrangement with the All Progressives Congress (APC), but rather a platform through which politicians from different parties could mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election.
The issue has generated disagreement with some APC governors, who have expressed concern about a political arrangement that could affect the party’s candidates at other levels.
APC Progressive Governors’ Forum Chairman, Hope Uzodinma, said the governors would not support any alliance or arrangement that could weaken the APC or adversely affect its candidates.
Meanwhile, APC presidential campaign council spokesperson Ima Niboro has urged Wike and APC governors to end their public exchanges and concentrate on political mobilisation.
“When I said tone down the rhetoric, I do not mean stop working. Stop talking, go and work,” Niboro said.
He urged political leaders to strengthen their grassroots structures and engage directly with voters rather than continue exchanging statements in the media.
“All this shouting is not taking anybody anywhere. Go and work. Go and establish your authority on your political base,” he said.
2026 Constitution Amendment Bill Moves to States
2026 Constitution Amendment Bill Moves to States
2027: PDP Insists on Presidential Contest Despite Wike’s Support for Tinubu
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