On May 11th, the country's first "South Asian International Freight Train" set off in Lan. Ten days later, the freight train loaded with "Made in China" will arrive in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, after rail and road transportation. This marked another important step in opening Lanzhou to the West and South after the opening of the "Lanzhou" cargo train for Central Asia and Europe.
Over the past two years and more, countries along the Belt and Road have responded. Last year, China signed Memorandums of understanding with more than 30 countries for the joint development of the Belt and Road, and some of the major pillars of the Belt and Road have begun to be built. For example, the China-Mongolia Economic Corridor, the China-Indochina Economic Corridor, the New Asia-Europe Continental Bridge Economic Corridor, the China-Central Asia-West Asia Corridor, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and the Mongolia-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor have achieved some encouraging results. For the first time, in the past, freight between China and the EU was mainly by air, sea and road transport. Air and road transport costs are high and sea transportation takes a long time. With its short distance, fast speed and high security, as well as its advantages of safe, fast, green and environmental protection, and its small impact on the natural environment, the China-Europe class has become the backbone of land transportation in international logistics.
The prospect of international freight is very broad and has a very high value for money. As we all know, in the past, our logistics trade to South and Southeast Asia was mainly completed by sea. The opening of the railway freight train has opened up the way for land transportation and will give full play to the advantages of railway transportation. It is conceivable that in the future, the railway will lead to economic trade, cargo exchanges, the movement of people, cultural exchanges and technical support among countries and cities, and will certainly strengthen the "urban" effect among countries. The development pattern of the Belt and Road Initiative will also establish a system of cooperation for the common development of all countries in the world through mutual help, mutual assistance and mutual progress. With the complementarity of science and technology and mutual assistance of resources, railways will also take steps in the development and eventually pave a road map for world railway transportation.
The Belt and Road Initiative has become a trend. The opening of each international railway line will bring new development opportunities to countries and regions along the route. All industries should take a new approach to development to meet this new era and work together to create win-win results. With the cooperation with the South Asian railways, our railways are constantly being upgraded and speeded up. We believe that the "South Asian International Freight Train" will surely become the "star product" for international freight transport on the Belt and Road strategy. It will also promote common economic development and benefit the people.
