This year marks the 10th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road Initiative — a platform for global cooperation, in which Beijing is actively creating and developing sea and land routes to Asia, Africa and Europe. The starting point of this grandiose project was the city of Xi’an, from which the ancient Silk Road originated.

China-EU rail freight volumes on the main Eurasian corridor fell by 48% in the first semester of 2023, back to the pre-pandemic level of 2019.