In 2020, a record 12,406 China-Europe freight train journeys were made, up 50 percent from 2019. The number hit 1,165 in January, up 66 percent year on year. It is reported that the EU statistics agency Eurostat has said China last year overtook the United States as the EU’s biggest trade partner, with the bilateral trade totaling around 586 billion euros (about 711 billion U.S. dollars).
Once regarded as merely ornamental, freight service along Belt and Road trade routes has become increasingly important as exporters turn to railway transport