There were 982 freight train trips between Qingdao, Shandong province and Eurasia in 2020, a 43.8 percent year-on-year increase.

Amid the downturn in global trade and investment, Qingdao customs has been ramping up efforts to promote the resumption of sustainable supply chains and support the development of logistics channels such as the China-Europe freight trains and inland ports.

The customs has detailed 26 tasks to support the development of China-Europe freight trains. Because of this, new China-Europe freight train routes, such as the "Linyi -- Hamburg", "Jining -- Nizhnekamsk" and "Zaozhuang -- Moscow", have started operating. 

Customs officers inspect a China-Europe freight train in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo/qingdaonews.com]

"We have continued to optimize the supervision services for international freight trains, reduced the number of documents needed, and allowed marine shipping and railway containers to be replaced in areas under the supervision of the customs so as to facilitate the regular operation of Eurasian freight trains," said Xu Yuejing, customs officer in Qingdao.

According to official statistics, the foreign trade of Shandong province reached a record high of 2.2 trillion yuan ($340.56 billion) in 2020, while its trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative hit 660.82 billion yuan, up 9.1 percent year-on-year, largely due to strengthened transportation and logistics cooperation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.