First freight train from China's Changsha arrives to Budapest

BUDAPEST — After traveling about 10,000 kilometers, the first freight train from Changsha, China to Budapest arrived at the Budapest Intermodal Logistic Center on Friday.

It departed from Changsha on May 27, and passed an corridor through Russia and Ukraine. The train carried 41 containers of electronic products, shoes and apparel, fiber optic cable, hardware and machinery parts.

Zhou Xinjian, economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, told Xinhua that the trade between the two countries reached more than $9 billion last year, and was expected to exceed $10 billion this year.

"In this case, China's freight trains continue to come to Hungary, delivering Chinese goods to Hungary and the Central and Eastern European countries, also promoting economic and trade cooperation between the two countries," he underlined.

Friday's train passed less countries, took less time, so it is a better choice for Chinese goods and exporters, Zhou added. The freight train service will operate once a week for one-way at the initial stage.

Besides the above mentioned rail links in the north, China and Hungary are also connected in the south by the China-Europe Land-Sea express line.

In the future, besides the rails and sea links, Chinese and Hungarian cities and provinces are also looking up at the sky.

"Chinese and Hungarian provinces and cities are negotiating for direct air freight service, and good results are expected, so at that time Chinese goods will come to Hungary by land, sea and air. Hungary will become a distribution center for Chinese goods in Central and Eastern Europe," Zhou explained to Xinhua.