Railway has replaced air cargo, in Xiamen, to be the second largest mode of transportation in exporting, because of the rail links to Europe, local officials revealed.

As a crucial node on the ancient marine Silk Road, Xiamen has long been renowned for its flourishing overseas trade.

In 2017, Xiamen Port maintained its growth momentum despite a general slack picture in the global industry. The port's throughput hit 10.38 million TEUs in the year, ranking 14th in the world.

Nowadays, the sea-rail combined transportation has enabled Xiamen to exert an increasingly important role in connecting China with the countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, local officials said.

First proposed in 2013, the Initiative is a national key project aiming to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.