New Silk Road: Transport from China to Russia is increasing, while to Europe it is decreasingNew Silk Road:
In the first half of 2023, China State Railways dispatched 16% more westbound trains on the New Silk Road than a year ago. Increased trade with Russia is responsible for this increase.
From January to June In 2018, 8,641 trains left China, transporting 936,000 people. TEUs. The number of containers moved by rail on NJS westbound increased by 30% year-on-year. China State Railways in a press release said that during this time, it has managed to increase the load capacity of trains, launch new routes and personalized services for logistics operators. A variety of goods are transported on NJS, from electronic products, through machinery, cars, raw materials to food products.
However, the increase in exports to NJS is mainly due to the increase in exports from China to Russia, caused by some shipowners suspending the service of Russian ports after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the need to transfer imports to land routes. last year Several road and rail border crossings between China and Russia, unused for years, were opened to meet the increased demand for cargo transport. At the same time, however, Russia plays a minor role in China’s foreign trade, as it accounts for only 3% of the turnover of the world’s largest exporter. China exports more goods to countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Smaller shipments to Europe
At the same time, according to the Eurasian Rail Alliance, intermodal transport from China to the European Union in the first 5 months recorded a decrease in volume by over 48% and amounted to 114,048 TEU. Transport from China to Poland decreased by 27% during this period and amounted to 60,554 TEU. In turn, the average time of cargo transport from China to the EU has improved and now amounts to 10 days. Despite the reduced rail transport to Europe due to geopolitical turmoil, this direction is still a priority for Beijing, which is emphasized by representatives of the Chinese authorities during talks with European entrepreneurs.
At the end of June, intermodal trains from China were reaching 216 cities in 25 European countries. Since the launch of NJS in 2011, 73,000 trains have been deployed on trans-Eurasian routes, carrying a total of 6.9 million TEU