Home»Industry Trends» The Freight Volume of China - Europe Railway Surges, and Chinese Enterprises Accelerate Their Layout in the European Market!
With the continuous expansion of global trade, railway transportation, as a key link connecting the Eurasian continent, is increasingly showing its unique strategic value. According to the latest data from China Railway Group Limited (CRGL), in the first four months of 2024, the volume of freight transported from China to Europe increased significantly. The goods transported by railway reached 675,000 tons, an increase of 11% year - on - year, and the number of train operations reached 6,184, an increase of 10% year - on - year. This data not only reflects the activity of Chinese commodity exports but also demonstrates the increasingly close economic ties between China and Europe.
Despite certain political, economic and commercial tensions between China and the EU, this has not stopped Chinese companies from expanding in the European market. For example, Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD has begun construction of its first European factory in Hungary and is evaluating the possibility of building a second plant in Europe by 2025. Michael Shu, BYDs European head, stated at the Future of the Car conference in London: We are confident we can achieve a leading position in the European market by 2030. This confidence stems from BYDs strong performance in the global EV market, particularly its lead over US EV maker Tesla in the Chinese market.
In the global competition in the electric vehicle market, Tesla has always been an important player. However, its sales in China in April 2024 were only 62,167 units, a year - on - year decrease of 18%. In contrast, BYDs global electric vehicle sales reached 312,048 units, an increase of 49% compared with the same month in 2023. This comparison not only shows BYDs advantages in technology and market expansion but also reflects the increasingly strong competitiveness of Chinese brands in the global market.
With the continuous expansion of Chinese companies in the international market, railway transportation, as an efficient and low - carbon mode of freight transportation, is playing an increasingly important role inInternational LogisticsThe China - Europe freight train not only provides a direct access for Chinese goods to enter the European market but also promotes economic connectivity and trade cooperation among the countries along the economic belt.
In addition,China-Europe Railway ExpressThis expansion is also part of Chinas Belt and Road initiative, which aims to enhance trade flows connecting Asia, Europe and Africa through building trade and infrastructure networks. This not only helps promote economic development in countries along the routes, but also helps Chinese companies play a more important role in the global economy.
However, the operation of the China - Europe freight train also faces many challenges, including the coordination of policies and regulations in cross - border transportation, as well as how to improve logistics efficiency and reduce transportation costs. In addition, with the expansion of trade scale, how to ensure transportation safety and improve the reliability of freight transportation are also key issues that need to be focused on in future development.