March 7, 2017 | Tags: Freight Train, Market Tips, Yiwu Market
(keywords: London train 18 days Yiwu first journey)
Yiwu is the largest small commodities trading center in the world, and each year produces more than half the world’s Christmas decorations. Exports from Yiwu to the UK had a value of 621 million dollars (502 million pounds) in 2015, and 569 million dollars (461 million pounds) from January-November 2016, representing a 10 percent increase for the same period the year before.
London is the 15th city in Europe added to China-Europe freight train services.
A train traveling all the way from Yiwu on China’s east coast arrived in London’s Barking station on Wednesday afternoon Jan.18th, becoming the first direct freight train to link the UK and China, crossing the deserts, fields and mountains of Eurasia and ducking under the English channel on its epic 18-day, 12,451 km journey.
This service will improve China-Britain trade ties, strengthen connectivity with western Europe, while better serving China’s One Belt One Road Initiative, an infrastructure and trade network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes, the China Railway Corporation said.
The new service is operated by China’s Yiwu Timex Industrial Investment Co, which has been running freight trains twice a week between China, Germany and Spain for more than a year already.
