Since its inaugural run on August 28th, 2016, China-Europe Railway Express (CR Express) in Guangzhou has seen a remarkable increase in service frequency, with a more diverse array of goods transported and an expanding service network. Over the past eight years, Guangzhou Customs has overseen a total of 1,650 trains for import and export on this route, dispatching 156,000 standard containers and declaring a total import and export value exceeding 43 billion RMB. The railway service connects over 40 cities across more than 20 countries, including Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Western Asia, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, establishing a “golden bridge” for enhanced connectivity and mutual benefit across the Eurasian continent.
Throughout these eight years, the routes of the CR Express under the supervision of Guangzhou Customs, have continually expanded, with the number of trips increasing year by year. What began as a single export route eight years ago has now expanded into a comprehensive network of 22 routes, comprising 15 outbound and 7 inbound. In 2024, Guangzhou Customs support Guangdong in launching its first full train under the “railway fast customs clearance” model, introducing a new route with a complete schedule from “Guangzhou International Port to Warsaw.” In terms of the number of trips, the annual count of CR Express trains monitored by Guangzhou Customs rose from 13 in 2016 to 626 in 2023, marking an average annual growth rate of over 70%, reflecting a significant acceleration in operations.
Building on the increasing number of trips, the range of goods transported by the CR Express in Guangzhou has also diversified. During its initial phase in 2016, the main export goods were clothing, footwear, kitchenware, and hardware accessories. In recent years, the structure of exports has been optimally diversified, covering over 100 categories ranging from automobiles to home appliances. In the first eight months of 2024 alone, Guangzhou Customs has supervised the operation of 133 “premium trains,” benefiting numerous renowned manufacturing enterprises in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, such as Midea, CHANGHONG, and Skyworth, with goods spanning over 20 categories, including LCD televisions and air conditioners.
The railway serves not only to export goods but also to facilitate imports. In May 2020, the first “Guangzhou-Manchuria-Russia” import train returned through the Manchuria Port, bringing a variety of European goods to the Dalan International Logistics Container Yard in Guangzhou. Currently, the import routes for the CR Express in Guangzhou cover five major northern railway ports, including Manchuria, Erlianhot, Alataw Shankou, Horgos, and Suifenhe, ensuring faster delivery of high-quality foreign consumer goods to domestic consumers.
At present, the cross-border trade routes monitored by Guangzhou Customs have established a spatial layout characterized by”multi-directional connectivity across land and sea,” providing efficient, secure, and reliable international logistics channels for over 4,000 foreign trade enterprises.
Source | Lingnan on the Cloud