A freight train directly linking China to Afghanistan departed Nantong City in east China's Jiangsu Province on Thursday, marking the resumption of the freight train services between the two countries.
Initially established in 2016, the freight train links China's Nantong to Afghanistan's Hairatan through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, creating a direct route for trade.
The resumption of freight train services will bring important opportunities for both countries to deepen the convergence of interest and achieve win-win cooperation.
"The China-Afghanistan direct freight train showcases that China upholds good-neighborliness and friendship and is ready to help Afghanistan advance peace and reconstruction. It also shows that as a country adhering to opening up and development, China can provide solutions to international and regional hotspot issues," said Yue Xiaoyong, Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
An employee from Afghanistan's embassy in China said that he hopes the rail route will deepen the bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries in the fields of trade and investment.
The resumption of freight train services can also help Chinese enterprises to expand overseas by creating a new transportation route for products from China to Central Asian countries.
"Goods transported by the China-Afghanistan direct freight train are sourced from provinces including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong in east and south China, which provides new logistics options for enterprises in these areas to venture overseas," said Yang Zhanchen, an official from Nantong Customs.
Direct freight train between China, Afghanistan resumes service
