Published on: 2026-07-31
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
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Jinan, July 31 /Xinhua/ — Serbian wine, Russian steaks, Kazakh cookies… In a supermarket in the Chinese city of Jinan (administrative center of Shandong Province, East China), a local resident Sun Jing carefully selected and purchased groceries.
“Here there are not only affordable prices, but also a large assortment,” she noted.
Today, with the development of freight railway transportation on the China-Europe route, more and more foreign goods are appearing in supermarkets literally near the homes of Chinese consumers.
China-Europe freight trains running from Shandong Province have already formed an international logistics network that “connects Japan and the Republic of Korea in the east, Asia and Europe in the west, ASEAN in the south, and Mongolia and Russia in the north.” Within Shandong Province itself, the main hub centers are the cities of Jinan, Qingdao, and Linyi, while the secondary hubs are Yantai, Weihai, Zhichao, and Weifang. Abroad, four consolidation centers have been established—in Almaty /Kazakhstan/, Inđija /Serbia/, Moscow /Russia/, and Vientiane /Laos/.
In 2025, 3,096 China-Europe freight trains were dispatched from Shandong Province, an increase of 13.5 percent year-on-year. The annual volume of shipments exceeded 3,000 trains for the first time, consistently maintaining leading positions nationwide. To date, the total number of trains dispatched from Shandong Province has exceeded 15,000, with 57 international routes operating, directly connecting 60 cities in 28 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.
In addition to expanding the shopping basket of Chinese consumers, China-Europe freight trains bring convenience and benefits to the residents of the countries located along this route.
Wheat was first cultivated in the Mesopotamian region and its surroundings in Western Asia. The chernozem of Northern Kazakhstan, the abundant sunlight, and the large daily temperature fluctuations allow the cultivation of high-protein wheat. Thousands of years ago, wheat entered China through Central Asia. Thanks to the launch of China-Europe freight trains, demand for Kazakh wheat has risen again in China.
At the end of October 2025, the Kazakh company Rodcorporation and the Chinese company Shandong Hi-Speed Qilu Eurasia Railway Express Co., Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding on expanding supplies of Kazakh grain, feed, and oilseeds to the Chinese market.
A representative of Shandong Hi-Speed Qilu Eurasia Railway Express Co., Ltd. noted that Shandong province is one of the leading regions in the consumption and processing of agricultural products, and the production of various flour products is a hallmark of the local cuisine. The company is interested in joint projects with Kazakhstan and is ready to increase purchases of Kazakh agricultural products.
China-Europe freight trains not only transport infrastructure materials but also contribute to raising the technological level, bringing additional income to local farmers.
In the Uzbek city of Bukhara, local farmers can remotely control the temperature and humidity in greenhouses for tomatoes and cucumbers with just a click of a mouse.
Wang Shoubo, Chairman of the Board of Shandong Lisente Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., stated that in Bukhara alone, the area of greenhouse complexes built by his company has already exceeded 1 million sq. m.
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