The world’s fastest Sino-European freight train, more business ties

As the regional transportation hub and one of the major growth engines in western China, Chengdu is now looking to Europe for more business, trade and cultural exchanges.

It is also a vision shared by Milan Hovorka, deputy minister of industry and trade of Czech Republic.

“I have a dream that one day I could travel around on airplanes jointly made by the Czechs and Chinese, so as to save the time for the beautiful scenes and tasty food in Sichuan,” he told the EU-China Business and Technology Cooperation Fair last year.

As the Czech Republic seeks cooperation in the general aviation industry, a delegation led by President Milos Zeman will bring four types of light aircraft to this year’s EU-China fair.

The ninth EU-China Business and Technology Cooperation Fair will be held in the capital city of Sichuan province from Oct 21 to 23, drawing more than 500 delegates from 25 EU countries.

One of the largest investment, trade and technology cooperation venues between China and EU, the fair will focus on energy-saving technologies, new materials, modern agriculture, general aviation, biopharmaceuticals, IT, and advanced manufacturing.

Witold Stepienn, head of the delegation from Lodz in Poland, will again lead a delegation to the fair. The Lodz delegation is scheduled to sign an agreement with Sichuan province for deeper cooperation.

Lodz is the terminus of the Chengdu-Europe express, the fastest and most frequently used direct freight train linking China and Europe.

Started last year, the rail service runs almost directly along parts of the legendary Silk Road. Cargo from Chengdu and around the country on the weekly train includes laptops produced by PC giant Dell and iPads by Apple, as well as auto parts, home appliances, clothing, shoes and toys.

It takes 14 days to ship the cargo from Chengdu to Lodz. Then within three days, the shipments are delivered to customers in London, Paris, Berlin and Rome over the widespread European rail and road network.

The Chengdu government plans to shorten the train’s travel time to 12 days and increase the frequency to twice a week during peak season. A return route is also expected to go into service by the end of the year.

Chengdu’s European connections

“The express train has strengthened ties between Lodz and Chengdu, and provides economic and trade opportunities for China and Europe,” said Stepienn.

“We expect Lodz to become the gateway for Europe to enter China, and Chengdu the gateway for China to enter Europe,” he said.

Chengdu’s large airport and frequent international flights also tighten links with Europe.

In 2006 the city’s first direct air route to Europe began with a non-stop flight by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to Amsterdam. It was also the first direct air route from China’s central and western region to Europe.

Dozens of international flights have since followed.

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, the fourth-busiest airport on the Chinese mainland, now has 74 international routes connecting to cities including London, San Francisco, Melbourne, and Abu Dhabi.

New routes to Moscow, Paris, Dubai, and African cities are also expected to be scheduled.

Stronger connections to Europe are not only in transport.

In August, a group of “Pambassadors” aged between 5 to 15 in Germany and Switzerland collected colored drawings for 51, an 8-year-old panda named for its low birth weight. The Chengdu government honored it as the city’s logo, echoing the Berlin Bear.

Pictures of 51 served as the mascot for a Chinese film convention at the 71st Venice International Film Festival in Italy.

On July 25, the Chengdu Bureau of Exposition signed a cooperation agreement with Italy’s Fiera Roma exhibition company following its partnership with other world-renowned exhibition companies including German’s Koelnmesse, and Britain’s UBM and Reed Exhibitions.

Chengdu has been one of the top destinations in China for global events including the Fortune Global Forum and the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention.

On Feb 23, the giant pandas Xinghui and Haohao arrived in Brussels, Belgium for a 15-year-long international research cooperation program through shipping services provided by a branch of DHL in Chengdu.

Late in 2013, Sheme, a woman’s shoe brand from Chengdu, debuted its shoe collection Butterfly and Blossoms at London Fashion Week. It was the first-ever Chinese footwear brand at the London show.

Shoes manufactured in Chengdu have been exported to major markets in Europe including Italy, Russia and Britain.

Sichuan Tianfu new area, which is mainly located in Chengdu, was recently approved by the State Council as a national-level development zone. It is supposed to be another engine of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone, and develop into a modern international city as the Shanghai Pudong new area, Tianjin Binhai new area and the Chongqing Liangjiang new area.

“Driven by the new round of the ‘Go West’ campaign and the national strategy to develop the Silk Road Economic Belt and Yangtze River Economic Zone, Chengdu is regaining the glory as the starting point of the southern Silk Road,” said Huang Xinchu, Party chief of Chengdu.

The city was one of the most prosperous trading hubs between China and the West, as described in the Travels of Marco Polo, the story of the 13th century Italian traveler.