Customs officials check a container truck loaded with international mail in Qingdao, Shandong province, on April 15. [Photo by Li Xuan/for chinadaily.com.cn]

A container truck loaded with international parcels departed from Qingdao, Shandong province, on Wednesday, heading for Yiwu, Zhejiang province.

The deliveries are expected to begin arriving in European countries and other countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative in less than two weeks on a China-Europe freight train that originates in Yiwu.

Qingdao customs officials said it was the start of regular parcel services to Europe from Shandong. It will take 13 days to take the parcels to Poland and then transfer them to 23 other European countries.

The sharp reduction of international flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought big challenges for international parcel deliveries. Customs officials in Qingdao coordinated with their colleagues in Zhejiang to launch a new route with streamlined clearance procedures to help local exporters out of the dilemma.

The new route also helps logistics enterprises to optimize their international routes and provide varied services for international trade in Shandong and North China, the officials said.