Customs officers inspect a China-Europe freight train in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo by Zhou Shichao/For chinadaily.com.cn]

The total number of China-Europe freight train trips operated by a multimodal transport center in Qingdao, Shandong province, in the first 11 months of this year rose by 33.4 percent year-on-year to 699, playing a significant role in stabilizing supply chains and foreign trade, said local customs officers.

The multimodal transport center is located in the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Demonstration Zone for Local Economic and Trade Cooperation in Qingdao.

The China-SCO demonstration zone, approved by the central government, is designed to create a better platform for international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, and develop collaborations in logistics, trade, investment, tourism and culture.

This year, the zone has opened new international freight trains to Samarkand in Uzbekistan, Serbia and Mannheim in Germany. In addition, it has regularly operated 28 domestic and international freight trains that connect 52 cities in 22 Belt and Road Initiative countries.

"Compared with other modes of transport, the China-Europe freight train allows foreign consumer goods to reach domestic consumers faster and at a more affordable price," said a manager of a cross-border e-commerce enterprise located in the China-SCO demonstration zone.

According to local customs, the stable and highly efficient China-Europe freight train service has contributed to expansion of foreign trade and exploration of international markets. 

From January to November, the total import and export volume in the zone reached 31 billion yuan ($4.45 billion), up 38.3 percent year-on-year, of which trade volume with SCO countries accounted for 6.3 billion yuan.