Marking the opening of a new China-Europe freight train route a freight train left Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, heading for Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan.
According to a report in Xinhua, the train consists of 42 containers loaded with laptops, LED panels, green tea and other products manufactured in Hunan province.
With this service, Zhuzhou has become the third city in Hunan Province to open international freight train route to Europe after Changsha and Huaihua.
The train will leave China through the Horgos Pass in Xinjiang and pass Kazakhstan before reaching its destination.
The whole trip will take seven days, compared to the previous 10 days when there was no direct freight train from Xi'an to Bishkek, said Yuan Xiaojun, general manager of Xi'an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation Co., Ltd.
The new freight route will serve as a fast and efficient logistics corridor between China and Kyrgyzstan and will bring new opportunities for the two countries in various fields such as trade, culture and scientific and technological exchanges, said Sun Yimin, director of the administrative committee of Xi'an International Trade and Logistics Park.
Xi'an, known in ancient times as Chang'an, is the starting point of the Silk Road and plays a key role in the Belt and Road Initiative.