The China-Europe freight rail service network, a crucial part of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), saw that its trains have made 14,000 trips, according to China's top economic planner.
Those freight trains have rumbled along the route, taking garments, auto parts, chemicals and other Chinese goods to European consumers, while bringing back European food, machinery, equipment and timber.
The network is one of those examples of the cooperation realised by the BRI. With more and more projects within the framework launched, the Belt and Road cooperation has been playing an increasingly important role of deepening China-EU Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which has come a long way within the past over 15 years.
"We do have something here which we haven't seen for a long long time. If you look at the last 100 years, global infrastructure and global system were more or less dedicated to needs of Europe and America. Today we see that global infrastructure is changing and is also catering to the needs of China and East Asia. So we do see some substantial shift in influence and in interest."
Moreover, BRI not only help European companies trade and invest in China, but also directly contributes to new investment and jobs in Europe.
For example, with the investment of Chinese COSCO Shipping, the development of Piraeus port in recent years is an encouraging result of the cooperation between Greece and China within the framework of the BRI.
The condition of the port has been greatly improved and Greek economy has benefited from the investment, Vassilis Korkidis, President of Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry told Xinhua.
Thilo Ketterer, a public auditor and partner at the German professional service firm Roedl & Partner, has followed the idea of the BRI from the very beginning in 2013 and took part in the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in 2017.
"I'm personally still convinced that the Belt and Road Initiative is a win-win partnership. It's absolute adequate that China has some benefit out of it because China started it. And as long as the receiving countries, and the people in the receiving countries are having some benefit. It's the largest infrastructure project, technological, industrial, cultural, educational, environmental, and philosophical initiative in human history, bringing the whole world together in a peaceful manner."
In fact, the Belt and Road cooperation is extensively accepted as major part of bilateral relations between China and European countries.
In future, undoubtedly, China welcomes the active participation of the EU and other European countries in a joint effort to build a road that promotes peace, prosperity, openness and innovation and that connects civilizations, facilitates green development, and upholds high ethical standards, showed the latest China's Policy Paper on the European Union which was released last December.
The BRI, first proposed by China in 2013, refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond.
A total of 123 countries and 29 international organizations have signed BRI agreements with China.
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Berlin.
