At the railway port in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, China-Europe freight trains loaded with goods stand ready for departure, bearing witness to the city's efforts to expand new channels for opening-up and development.

Known as the "world's capital of small commodities", Yiwu is home to the departure station of the Zhejiang China-Europe freight train service (Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe) and the origin port of the Yiwu-Ningbo-Zhoushan sea-rail intermodal transport network.

To date, the Zhejiang China-Europe freight train service has launched 27 routes, reaching more than 50 countries and regions across Eurasia. Meanwhile, the sea-rail intermodal route linking Yiwu with Ningbo Zhoushan Port has become Zhejiang's largest rail-waterway transport corridor by cargo volume.

Huang Wei, the lead locomotive driver for the first leg of the China-Europe freight train service at the Hangzhou Rolling Stock Depot, shared his firsthand experiences of witnessing the development of the railway link over the years.

According to him, Yiwu has transformed itself from relying primarily on traditional maritime transportation of small commodities to embracing high-efficiency cross-border rail freight services through the development of China-Europe freight trains.

The operation of the China-Europe freight train service has strengthened Yiwu's role as an international logistics hub and provided support for the continuous expansion of freight train operations. Its growth highlights the important role of China's railway transportation network in facilitating international trade.