The sound of the whistle was loud and melodious, and the container semi-trailers drove in in an orderly manner. The Urumqi International Dry Port Area in midsummer was a busy scene.
On the afternoon of July 12, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the Urumqi International Dry Port Area, listened to the overall situation, and viewed the on-site operation of the various functional areas of the China Railway Express (Urumqi) Assembly Center and the Alashankou Port and Horgos Port through real-time images. , and communicate cordially with the staff and on-site staff.
Xinjiang, the central location of the Eurasian continent, the core area of the ancient Silk Road; Urumqi International Dry Port Area, an important hub of the Eurasian Continental Bridge.
A bridge connects Europe and Asia, and the Silk Road crosses the Tianshan Mountains.
Looking back at the depths of history, Zhang Qian, the envoy of the Han Dynasty in China, shouldered the mission of peace and friendship, and opened up a Silk Road that traverses East and Asia and connects Europe and Asia.
Since then, the messengers have met each other on the road, and business travel has never stopped.
In September 2013, at the Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, President Xi Jinping proposed for the first time a major initiative to jointly build the "Silk Road Economic Belt", and the ancient Silk Road that has lasted for thousands of years has once again entered the world's vision.
Today, following the imprint of the old Silk Road, the "steel camel caravan" of the China-Europe freight train is full of goods, crossing the mountains and rivers, realizing the "handshake" between China and Europe across the continent, and making the ancient trade route full of vitality.
From "a line" to "a net":
fast-growing aorta
The pointer of time is set back to March 2011. The first China-Europe freight train departed from Chongqing and bound for Duisburg, Germany, which opened the prelude to the innovative development of China-Europe freight trains.
Three years later, President Xi Jinping came to Duisburg, stood at the end of the main artery of the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Europe Railway, and watched the ancient business road welcome the spring of the willows and flowers.
The route of President Xi Jinping's visit is unfolded in the grand narrative of the "Belt and Road".
He will always pay attention to important nodes related to the China Railway Express.
In June 2016, President Xi Jinping and Polish President Duda jointly attended the ceremony of the first arrival of the unified brand China-Europe freight train to Europe (Poland) in Warsaw.
When the China-Europe train with a unified logo whistle slowly entered the platform, the two heads of state waved to the train from the viewing platform and shook hands to congratulate each other.
After that, the China Railway Express entered the stage of leapfrog development.
In May 2017, at the opening ceremony of the "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum, President Xi Jinping emphasized that "China and the railway departments of relevant countries will sign an agreement on deepening the cooperation of China-Europe freight trains".
In February 2021, in his keynote speech at the China-CEEC Leaders Summit, President Xi Jinping called for "continue to support the development of China-Europe freight trains and fully tap the potential of cooperation".
Today, the China-Europe freight train has accumulated more than 50,000 trains, reaching 185 cities in 23 European countries, becoming a veritable international trade artery.
From "one line" to "one network", from thriving to lush foliage, China-Europe freight trains have opened up new channels and paths, and are promoting the formation of an overseas channel network pattern of "smooth and efficient, multi-directional extension, and sea-land interconnection" .
From "The Economic Road" to "The Bond of Destiny":
Acceleration of mutual benefit and win-win
For thousands of years, the changes in the road of commerce and trade have affected the rise and fall of the regions along the vast Eurasian continent.
Xinjiang has an irreplaceable position and role in the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt.
In April 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping asked Xinjiang to "integrate its own regional opening-up strategy into the overall layout of the construction of the National Silk Road Economic Belt and its opening to the west" when he inspected Xinjiang.
During this trip to Xinjiang, in the Urumqi International Land Port Area, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "With the deepening of the joint construction of the 'Belt and Road', Xinjiang is no longer a remote area, but a core area and a hub area. It is a matter of historical significance, and good results have been achieved, and with persistent efforts, the future is bright."
Urumqi International Land Port Area, a landmark project in Xinjiang to build the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, since the start of construction at the end of 2015, with the China-Europe class as the main focus, the realization of railway, highway, sea-rail, highway-rail combined transportation and other logistics organizations Efficient operation, a two-way open channel is gradually formed.
Not only Xinjiang, but also more and more hinterland of China are stepping up to the frontier of opening up with the help of the "steel camel team", and their development potential has been further stimulated.
Every trip of the China-Europe freight train has opened the door to a win-win situation for mutual promotion of supply and demand and complementary advantages.
From 2016 to 2021, the annual freight value of China-Europe freight trains will increase from US$8 billion to US$74.9 billion, an increase of 9 times, and its proportion in the total trade volume between China and Europe will increase from 1.5% to 8%.
Where the China Railway Express passes, new logistics, industrial and commercial centers are rising.
In the face of the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the China-Europe freight train has not only become a "stabilizer" and "accelerator" for smooth China-Europe trade, but also continuously delivers epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic materials and production and daily necessities that are in short supply in the international community to European countries. The "passage of life" and "bond of destiny" to fight the epidemic together.
From "freehand brushwork" to "fine brushwork":
A China program that benefits the world
The Silk Road is prosperous, and the world is connected.
The China-Europe trains running endlessly on the Eurasian continent have become a beautiful scenery on the "Belt and Road".
In the long river of history, there are always some wonderful moments that will be fixed for eternity.
In the autumn of 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping successively proposed major initiatives to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
Under the global attention, this path of win-win cooperation from the depths of history has opened a new page in the world's development process.
"The 'Belt and Road' pursues a great profit that blooms with a hundred flowers, not a small profit that stands alone." "China will promote high-quality joint construction of the 'Belt and Road', so that more countries and people can obtain development opportunities and benefits" "Jointly build the 'Belt and Road' It is becoming a Chinese plan for my country to participate in global openness and cooperation, improve the global economic governance system, promote global common development and prosperity, and promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.”
In the past few years, batches of flagship projects have emerged, and the livelihood projects have grown up one by one, entering the lives of people in the countries and regions along the route.
It is the water gushing out from the dry land, the electricity that illuminates the dark night, the road that stretches into the distance, and the tomorrow worth looking forward to.
The road goes far, and the sea is open to all rivers.
As of the beginning of June this year, China has signed more than 200 cooperation documents on the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" with 149 countries and 32 international organizations.
The world clearly sees that the Belt and Road Initiative has transformed the world's opportunities into China's opportunities, and China's opportunities into the world's opportunities.
Coordinator: Cui Shixin
Written by: Yu Jiarou
Curated by: Du Shanze
Editor: Wei Ran
Image source: Xinhua News Agency (Photo: Li Xueren Xie Huanchi, Visual: Lai Xiangdong Bi Xiaoyang)